Focal Point
by CoffeeCup 2013
Summary: For a millennium the portals have stood, preventing the Mor'hass from entering the galaxy. But now the barriers are failing. Two factions race to Ashram and a portal. One to prevent the destruction of their home, the other to broker a deal and assist in enslaving a galaxy. (This is a work in progress.)
1. Chapter 1

A/N: There are no characters in this book that have anything to do with, well... anything! It's a piece I have been working on for some time and thought I might post it, see if it was coherent. And then I thought, 'Well crap. There are NO characters from either Games I play or Books I have read incorporated into this book. All the characters are my own!' So if you are reading this, beware. Neither Hans Solo, The Doctor nor Leslie Knoppe are in this book!

* * *

Chapter One

"Damn it, Guun, strap the nav computer down now!" O'Connell had to shout over the sound of buckling metal.

"I'm trying captain, but she's breakin' up!" Guun wielded his wrench like a man possessed. "The circuits are fried. The back up's are dieing and at this speed we won't last another hundred clicks."

O'Connell growled in response. He hastily adjusted his course control, pushing his ship faster than she had ever gone, all his energy bent on the small point of light speeding away from him. "She _took_ it Guun and I am _fraggin'_ getting it back!"

Guun groaned, his dark red hair clinging to the sweat on his brow. "Not if we disintegrate, you wont," he mumbled and then turned his wrench on another loose bolt.

O'Connell's hand raced across his control panel and then settled on the ship's throttle, his grip hard enough to crush the stick. His mind raced with the thought of wrapping those same hands around her traitorous throat. "I'm coming for you, Ashe. I'm on your ass and when I catch you…" his mind fought over the ways he would punish her. Shoot her? No, too quick and painless. Throttle her? Possibly, watch the breath slowly leave her body. Watch those dark chocolate eyes slowly empty of life? Watch those breasts, white, soft and round, heaving violently while she gasped for air, then watch them slowly still?

O'Connell shook his head as if to empty it of that thought. He focused on the point of light outside his ship, and tried to will it closer, his mind filled with thoughts of her eyes.

* * *

Ashe's hands flew over her controls, willing her ship to hold together. She didn't need to glance at her radar to know he was right behind her, had been right behind her for two days now. She also didn't need a sage to tell her he would not give up until he caught her. 'That's the problem with driven men,' she murmured to herself, 'they are so damn driven!'

She checked the distance read out. Ashram was still over a week away at this speed and the ship would not hold together at this velocity for that long. She had to find a place to lose him.

The laugh that burst from her throat was sharp and mocking. As if she could lose him! The man was insufferable, cocky and arrogant, self-absorbed and incredibly egotistical. But he was also good, damn good at what he did and what he did was hunt. And now he was hunting her.

"I am a dead woman, Veronica, if you don't hold together."

"I am aware of your predicament, darling. I am trying my best to please you." The ships AI had been modeled after her former captain's lover. Veronica's voice was silken and warm and Ashe felt very butch every time the ship spoke to her. She didn't think any real woman could be as seductive as V.

"Well thanks for the effort. Any chance we could lose him in the 'stroid field up ahead?" She held out a small amount of hope that Veronica's maneuvering abilities boarded on godlike.

The ship's sigh spoke volumes. "I am good, my darling Captain. However I lack that level of proficiency. Perhaps you would agree to a landing on Veronus 3? I could disappear quite easily in the dense forest; then we might continue on later after he has given up."

Ashe laughed. "We're talking about O'Connell, V. He will never give up."

"That assessment is correct. I have reviewed your files on him. He is most persistent."

"Yes." Ashe sighed. Unbidden, an image of the first time they made love flew across her vision. Under orders she had befriended Guun to gain access to their ship and had quickly set about making herself invaluable to the two of them. Her tech skills were on par with Guun's and her ability to, for lack of a better word, acquire valuable objects was an asset O'Connell made use of on every job they took. On board their focus was on the MorBui, on a job it was almost as if they could think as one. It has saved their lives on countless occasions. Then one day, she had been in the middle of a sentence, discussing propulsion issues on his ship when he had simply leaned in and kissed her. His lips had been warm and demanding. His tongue had played with her lips, her cheeks, her throat, before he had pressed his lips again on hers. It had been the most sensual, most passionate moment of her life. She remembered her body responding, her back arching towards him, her hands moving up his chest, over his shoulders and resting on the back of his neck, pulling him closer. His scent had been musky, male and had filled her senses. He had pulled open the fastening of her leather bodice before she could formulate a protest, but by that point she knew she had none. His hands traced the outline of her breasts, holding them, his thumbs teasing her body into life. He had pulled his mouth from hers, to run his tongue down her throat and over her body, biting, playing with her, taunting her, turning her to liquid fire.

The loud beeping of the engine alarm broke into her thoughts. A large red warning light blinked furiously. Ashe groaned.

"We are close to losing hull integrity, Captain and though I hesitate to inform you of this, it appears my hydro modulator has cracked. As you are aware, the engine's temperature will now rise with some alacrity. This will result in the imploding of my engines. Would you prefer for me to decrease speed before that occurs?" Veronica's voice was still silken and unperturbed at the thought of their imminent destruction and Ashe found that disturbing.

"Yes. Damn it! We don't have a choice. Head for Veronus 3. We'll see what we can do there." She adjusted her speed and course, her mind racing. 'He's the best there is. But he is a bit of a bull in a china shop. If I can't out race him, perhaps I can simply hide from him."

'_But can you hide from yourself?' her mind taunted her._ She focused on the controls, the readout of Veronus 3 and tried to push the thoughts of his naked chest against hers, his hands on her body, his mouth on hers … "Get out of my head," she groaned. "Damn you, O'Connell!"

* * *

"Damn you, Ashe," he echoed. "What the hell are you doing now?" He watched as her ship grew closer. He felt a momentary thrill when he thought her ship was finally failing and he was catching up. Then she banked starboard and darted behind a small moon.

"Where the hell are you going?" He plugged her vector into the nav computer.

"Possible projected course: Talus 2, Mandarin and Veronus 3." The computer droned.

"Life sustaining?"

"Veronus 3 only."

"Then Veronus 3 it is." He adjusted his course, but did not decrease his speed until Guun growled in pain.

"We're gonna die ya know!" Guun bellowed from inside the ship's port-com.

"Alright, alright." O'Connell decreased speed just enough to hold the ship together. "I'm comin' for you, Ashe." His tone was angry as he glared at the view screen. But for some reason instead of his hands around her throat, he had a vivid image of the first time he kissed her, the feel of her lips, the taste of her kiss and how good she had felt as he lifted her and she had wrapped her legs around him, her mouth pressed against his.

"I'm comin' for you, babe," he whispered softly, but this time mixed with his anger there was a trace of longing.

* * *

The landing on Veronus 3 was rocky at best and Ashe cursed herself for a fool. Slipping the craft into a dense copse of trees, she quickly initiated the distortion matrix. To the casual glance, or generic scan, her ship would be invisible. Her readings had indicated there was a settlement only a few clicks away and she could hopefully hide there for a while, until she was certain O'Connell was looking for her elsewhere.

"What would you have me do while you rest, captain?" Veronica sounded a little miffed at being left alone.

"This was your idea, V. Don't get angry with me."

"As you command, Captain. I will use the time to run a full diagnostic and affect what repairs I can. I could also vector a better route to your exchange point. After all, with this interruption you will be late meeting with Master Ling."

"I know, I know. Don't remind me." Ashe hated the thought of Ling not knowing the cause of her delay and his subsequent concern.

"Shall I send Master Ling a message?"

"No!" Ashe shook her head. "He'll trace it. He'll be looking for it. Hold all communications."

"Of course. Commander O'Connell is quite adept at locating and procuring what he seeks," Veronica's tone boarded on the complimentary.

"Don't remind me." Ashe grabbed her insulated leather jacket and zipped it closed. She strapped her favorite side arms, the double-pulse lasers, on the outside of each thigh. Adding her favorite black gloves, she glanced at her reflection. The leather covered her like a second skin, her blonde hair gleaming in the cabin light. But the eyes that stared back at her were empty, as dark and cold as the void of space. Their emptiness the only indication of what this act cost her. She took a deep breath to steady herself. "You are only doing what you must, girl. If it could have gone another way…"

'_You mean if you could have simply asked O'Connell for the stone? If you could have told him what was going on? If you could have trusted him?' The voice in her head mocked her._

"Yes. That's what I mean," she sighed. But a year in his company had convinced her of one thing. O'Connell was not a man who worried about the big picture. He worried about O'Connell. The rest of the universe could go hang for all he cared. It was not his job to look after it.

"But it is mine." She grabbed a flask of water from the overhead bin. "I'll be gone a day or so. Hopefully not more. I suppose it depends upon finding a damn hydro seal. Lock up and don't let anyone in."

"Certainly, my darling Captain. I shall await your return." Ashe had the vague sensation of being caressed by the AI's voice. She made a mental note to look into altering its programming.

The door opened with an almost imperceptible whoosh. Ashe glanced around the cabin and then stepped out into the dense forest undergrowth.

* * *

The MorBui landed with an ungraceful thud. O'Connell turned to find Guun scowling at him.

"How could you do that to her? How could you abuse her like that? Have you no heart?" Guun growled and then reached across the cockpit and pressed a series of buttons.

It took a moment before O'Connell realized he was talking about the MorBui and not Ashe. "She's fine, Guun. Don't get hysterical on me."

"Hysterical? I'll give you fraggin' hysterical! The nav's shot, the com's close to shot, the propulsers need hours of TLC and recharging, and oh yeah… the bathroom light is out!"

O'Connell grinned evilly, his blue eyes sparkling. "Well, I suggest your first priority is the bathroom. After that, work your way through the other repairs."

Guun shrugged his massive shoulders. "Why not? What the hell? What does it matter what I do, you'll just take us back into orbit and kill us anyway."

"Are you dead now?"

Guun grunted. "Might as well be. What the hell are we doing chasing after her anyway? What's the big deal? She took that stupid little rock. She made more upgrades to this ship and its propulsion system than that rock is worth and you know it."

"That's not the point." O'Connell's blue eyes grew cold.

"Then what is the point, mate? If I'm gonna die chasing after that skirt, I have a right to know." Guun dropped his massive form into the co-pilot's seat with a thud and waited for his friend's response.

O'Connell stood, grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and pulled it on with more violence than was necessary. He zipped it half way, the black and red leather hugging his body, sculpting his muscular shoulders. The collar stood half way to his check bones, designed to protect him from the elements, but served at the moment to increase the look of hunger that played with his features. "She played me, Guun. I'm not fond of that."

Guun shook his head. "She never appeared to be a playa' to me, boss."

"She stole from me," O'Connell said, his tone cold.

Guun grinned. "Might I remind you that you steal from everyone?"

O'Connell strapped his M-9 to his waist, the weight of the firearm comforting and familiar. He turned to Guun and said softly, "But she… stole… from… me." Each word was punctuated by a violent thrust of his fist.

Guun sighed and turned back to the instrument panel. "I'll fix everything you broke while you're gone."

"Good. Let me know if you need anything specific in town."

"And you know she's there because?" Guun asked, though he knew the answer.

"Her particle discharge had her landing within ten clicks of here. This is the only settlement with sufficient foliage cover for her ship and adequate tech in town to ensure she doesn't stand out like a sore thumb. She's here, Guun." He turned and stared coldly at his friend. "Remember, that's what I do."

Guun raised his large hands in surrender. "Okay, okay. You win. I'll let you know if I need anything. Though the gods only know if they have anything on this backwater planet."

"They have her." O'Connell opened the hatch and stepped out into the dense foliage.

Guun shut the hatch behind him, rubbing the tension between his eyes. "I think she stole more than your damn rock, Captain," he muttered to himself. "Women," he sighed and then shook his head and added with a laugh, "I gotta get me one."

* * *

Ashe worked her way through the streets of the village, intent on procuring supplies and finding a decent place to disappear for a day. The streets were stone laid and worn; the buildings wood and mud structures. One main drag ran through the village, smaller, dirty side streets disappeared to her left and right. The people wandering the streets wore older, classic tunics, woolen garments. If not for the fairly sophisticated side arms that some carried she would have thought the planet tech-less. She moved around a small herd of sheep and the debris they left behind. She noticed horses, cattle, and a long necked animal she could not place. The smell of smoked meat hit her senses and she realized she was hungry.

It would probably be best if she grabbed some supplies and returned to V. The only problem with that was if he had tracked her ion trail and knew approximately where she landed, he might already have found V.

V would have alerted her, if she was aware of his presence. Stay in the village or return to the ship, both were crap shoots. Ashley sighed in frustration. Damn the man! Why couldn't he just let the rock go?

'_And what if it's not the rock he cares about?' the voice in her head speculated._

Ashe grunted. "Yeah. Like he could ever care for me. Not now. Not after what I've done. What he wants is to kill me, or throttle me… or skewer me with a Talisian spike." She stopped abruptly as a small child darted in front of her. She felt the familiar tug at her thigh strap and snagged the offending hand before it could move.

"Hey!" a young voice squealed.

She twisted the hand behind the child's back and grinned wickedly. "Not bad. A little slow on the release. Haven't done this much, have you?"

The small blonde head shook back and forth in denial. Ashe couldn't tell if the child was male or female. "You're clumsy. Slow and distracted."

The child's eyes filled with tears.

"That's good though. Tears always work." Ashe sighed as images of her own childhood filled her head. She had been clumsy too, at first. They had made fun of her. It's amazing how quickly you learn to fend for yourself when your stomach is empty. "Listen to me now." She lifted the child to her eye level. It put a little extra pressure on the kid's arm which was only slightly for affect. "I have a contract for you."

The tears halted with a suddenness she found comical and the dark eyes staring into hers grew curious.

"I need information and surveillance."

"How much?" The question was direct and she recognized the professionalism.

"I pay well. When the job is complete."

The child gave her a skeptical look.

"I'll throw in the added bonus of not snapping your wrist," Ashe added angrily, twisting her hand just enough to remind the child what was at stake.

"Okay," the kid winced. "What's to know?"

She lowered the kid to the ground. Once a contract was accepted, mutual respect, if not trust, was expected.

"Name?"

The child sighed. "Mira."

Ashe nodded. Probably a fake, but it would do. "Where do you work from?"

She saw Mira's eyes widen for a moment. "Tafrin's."

The response was too quick and she knew it for a lie. But at least it eliminated Tafrin's as their home base. "I need four of you. Two on each end of town. You will watch for a man. He'll be two spans tall, brown hair, blue eyes. Probably wearing red and black leather. Carries an M-9. And he'll be looking for me." She released the kid's wrist and staring into the child's eyes she knew him for a boy, no matter what the name. "He will not find me, but I do want to know when he arrives."

The boy nodded. "Anything else?"

"If you do this, I have a trick or two to show you. I can guarantee you'll never be caught again." Ashe jangled the boy's coin sac, having swiped it from him while she held him. His eyes grew wide in surprise and then he grinned in respect.

"Deal." He held out his small hand and she placed the coin sac in it. "Where do I find you?"

Ashe laughed. "You'll know or I really should have done business with someone else."

The boy's grinned widened. "I'll know or my name isn't Maluk." He pounded himself on the chest.

"Go, Maluk. Don't piss me off." Ashe's hand rested on the butt of her laser.

"No worries, lady!" Maluk dashed into the crowd and was swallowed whole.

She glanced up the street. It appeared to widen ahead, probably emptying into the village square. Ashe sighed, the knot in her stomach tightening painfully. She knew he was here, on the planet and she knew he was coming for her. But for the moment, she needed to push the thought of his rage out of her mind. She needed to find Tafrin's, she needed food, supplies, that damn hyro seal and above all she needed some sleep. For the moment, O'Connell, Master Ling and the fate of the universe would have to wait.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

O'Connell took his time working his way through the forest. He was pretty certain he knew where her ship was. He was also certain that Ashe was no longer on board, though the stone probably was. She wouldn't bother to take it with her into town. It would be safer onboard her ship. But then the stone was secondary. Ashe was his primary target. Ashe was what drove him forward. Ashe was the one he needed to run to ground. Ashe was his prey. Ashe…

The comlink on his sleeve vibrated, starling him. He tore the silver disk from his sleeve and barked, "What?"

"Miss you too, darling," Guun mocked.

"What do you need?" O'Connell sighed.

"A Distortion belt, Q7 bolts, a ton of them, and some really nice toilet paper. I'm tired of this sandpaper shit. Oh and coffee, we're almost out. And some real cream, if you can get it."

O'Connell tried not to laugh and failed. "You get so whiney when you're away from your mother."

"Uhmpf," Guun grunted. "I thought you were my mother! Oh that's right, you're my bitchy, ugly, older sister."

"Funny."

"Don't forget the coffee!" Guun grunted and then cut the connection.

O'Connell made a mental note of the supply list. Guun would be a bear to live with if he forgot the toilet paper or the coffee.

He paused at the town's gate. Foot traffic flowed through the village entrance with a sporadic rhythm. The animal population was large. But all of the bi-peds appeared to be human. Stepping through the village gates he paused for a moment, watching two obvious local militia frisk a turbaned merchant. Two more officers were rummaging through his cart, tossing merchandise onto the paved road. The merchant was turning purple in exasperation.

The town was noisy and crowded. Heavy on the air was the scent of cooked meat and beer. He glanced down a side street, calculating the possibility of her trying to hide in its darkness. He dismissed the idea. Ashe wasn't afraid of the dark, but she would prefer to hide in the open, right under his nose. That would give her a great deal more satisfaction. He sidestepped a couple of kids who seemed bent on relieving the merchant of his goods. The shorter of the two grabbed a scarlet robe from the ground then turned and grinned at him. The kid's blonde hair hung into his eyes, but O'Connell could have sworn he winked at him. Then the kid bolted up the street and disappeared into the crowd, the angry cries of the merchant trailing behind him.

"Cute kid," O'Connell sighed. He worked his way through the crowd, sidestepping the piles of animal dung and human debris. "Lovely village," he murmured to himself.

He scanned the crowds as he went. The human traffic seemed to be flowing up the street, most likely heading towards the village square. He passed a tavern, pausing only to glance inside. This place was too close to the front gate. She would go deeper. Head towards the center of town, if not slightly past it. He continued on up the street, taking in the location of the local tech shop, the sundry shop and the interesting placement of the local militia. They were armed well, X-36 with rapid pulsars. Yet they seemed sluggish and uninspired. O'Connell wondered if these guys ever saw any real action. They certainly weren't prepared for it, which made him wonder what or who actually was the law here.

At the top of the hill the street widened with a suddenness that was dizzying. The market center was easily a quarter of a click wide and filled with fishmongers, butchers, merchants and their stalls, their animals and their customers. The aroma of animal dung was strong and the cacophony of hawkers and their patrons was overwhelming. Searching the immediate area he noticed a mech stall a few yards to his right. Guun's voice echoed in his head. 'Q7 bolts, a ton of them.'

'First things first,' he murmured to himself, heading toward the stall. It took less than two steps before his eyes were caught and held by a large placard across the square. The faded wooden sign swung slowly in the light breeze, the image of a tankard of beer glistening in colors of gold and silver. O'Connell grinned, his mission for Guun on immediate hold. "Hello Mecca!"

Below the sign in bold script was painted, 'Mirium's'. As he made his way across the crowded market his gaze continually swept over the crowd, searching for her hair, it would be very blonde in the sunlight. She would probably be tucking it behind her ear, her eyes scanning the crowd as anxiously as his.

The tavern door was partially open and he stood in the doorway a moment, his eyes adjusting to the change in light. The tavern was filled; merchants, tradesmen, the opulently wealthy, and the ever-present pickpocket. O'Connell grinned as he sized up the crowd. Other than a dark corner near the back, the tavern's customers held no surprises. O'Connell worked his way towards the bar, trying to get into a position where he could see whomever might be in the darkened corner. He doubted it would be Ashe, she wouldn't be here. This place wasn't her style.

As he took a stool and leaned onto the bar he felt a pair of full firm breasts press against his back. A deep, languid voice poured into his right ear, "Hello stranger." Long fingernails brushed back the hair above his ear.

"M'am." He turned to her, one eye on the massive bosom that came into view, one on the darkened corner.

"Where you from, handsome?" Her eyes and hair were black, her skin a light caramel. Her lips were full and painted red and her smile was dazzling.

O'Connell grinned. "Nowhere in particular, kid. How about you?"

In mock protest, she opened her mouth just enough so that he could see her moist tongue. Then she grinned. "Same place. Isn't that a coincidence?"

"Absolutely." O'Connell could smell the spicy tang of her musk. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of light in the darkened booth. A pair of eyes glared at him for a moment through the flame of the match and then faded into darkness. 'Definitely not Ashe,' he thought. 'Unless she's developed a nasty five o'clock shadow.'

The impressive bosom was pressed against him once again. "Do you find it lonely here, handsome? So far away from nowhere in particular?" the last was whispered in his ear, her breath sending shivers down his neck.

He grinned at her. "Not at the moment."

She smiled and then reached up to the bodice of her dress. With one swift movement she unlaced the front of her dress, reveling large, rounded breasts that curved gracefully down to the darkened erect nipples. Her stomach lay bare, flat and toned, and he could just make out the dark, inviting warmth between her legs. 'Damn. This is a great tavern,' he murmured to himself.

"Come with me then. I will keep you warm. You will not be lonely tonight, I can assure you." She pressed her now naked breasts against his arm and he found himself wishing he was not wearing a leather jacket. Still, tempting as those breasts were, shacking up with a companion for the night was not in the game plan.

"Listen gorgeous…" O'Connell began.

"You would deny me?" She leaned in closer, her lips pressed against his, her hands in his hair. She glanced, ever so quickly, towards the darkened booth in the corner and O'Connell groaned.

'Wonderful,' he thought. 'I'm being set up.'

He could feel the goons descend upon him before he saw them. One to his right and one directly behind him. There was no movement yet from the darkened corner. With a sigh, he leapt from the stool and in one swift motion he turned his back to the bar and grabbed the girl's wrist yanking her in front of him. Her squeal of pain brought him a moment of satisfaction. He pinned her against him with his left hand while using his right to grab the barstool, swinging it at the closest goon. The other patrons quickly scattered and he wondered how often this scenario played itself out. There was a resounding crack as the stool connected soundly with the idiot's head. O'Connell grinned as the man dropped to the floor, motionless. The second goon glanced at his friend and scowling, lunged. O'Connell thrust the stool like a lance, but this idiot was slightly more prepared than his companion and the stool glanced off the fool's left shoulder.

The man tried to lunge at him again, a large deadly looking blade in his right hand. O'Connell held onto the girl, his arm digging into her soft expansive bosom until she gasped. He moved her between himself and the goon, using her as an effective shield. The idiot tried to lunge again, aiming for the one spot she was not covering, his right shoulder. O'Connell swung the stool, still in his right hand, backward and away. As the idiot became committed to his awkward lunge at O'Connell's right shoulder, O'Connell stepped to the left, the stool swinging backward in a powerful arch. The goon lunged passed him, missing him entirely. O'Connell, the barstool just reaching the apex of its arc, pivoted, allowing the stool to finish its orbit and smash into the back of the goon's head. The idiot dropped like a sack of dirt.

O'Connell tossed the stool and gripped his hand instead around the butt of his M-9. After watching her friend's skull get crushed, the woman had become a very passive human shield. Keeping her tight against him, he spun around so they faced the darkened corner. The intensity of the angry glare from its occupant was enough to convince him that this was the real threat.

He heard a slow, rhythmic clapping emanate from the darkness. The shadowed figure stood, and stepped into the tavern light. O'Connell was surprised by the man's finely cut clothes. His black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, his dark brown eyes gleamed with annoyance and respect. The man was unshaven, but O'Connell realized it was more for effect than sloppiness.

'Who the hell is this guy?' O'Connell thought.

"Well done, sir. Well done. Of course, these men are expensive, so I am not altogether pleased. Still, better to weed out the weak now then wait until a moment of consequence." He made an almost imperceptible gesture with his hands and two men jumped from a nearby booth and dragged the unconscious goons from the room.

O'Connell held the girl firmly against him, his grip on the M-9 equally firm.

"If you would be so kind, Lariana I am sure, would love to be released. She appears rather anxious," his tone and words suggested compassion, however the look he gave the girl was filled with contempt.

Though he would have sworn it was physically impossible, O'Connell felt the girl pull even closer to him. The indication that she was more afraid of her boss than him made him pause. "I 'd love to, right after you explain yourself."

The brown eyed man raised an eyebrow. "Explanation? I would have thought that was obvious. An introduction might be more appropriate. Marcus K'rier, Territory Holder, Privateer," he said and paused, allowing his title a moment to impress. "And you are?"

"Not here for any length of time." O'Connell pushed Lariana towards the bar, away from himself and the _arrogant arse_. That was all he was willing to do for her. Much as he might feel for the girl, she had made her own bed.

"Come, come now. I am impressed with your… talents." Marcus gestured to place on the floor where his goons had lain. "Perhaps I might have some work for a man of your qualifications."

O'Connell began to work his way towards the door. "Thanks for the offer. But I'm afraid I will not be here for long. And my talents… are presently occupied with another matter."

Marcus made a tsk tsk sound. It annoyed the hell out of O'Connell. "I hate to see a good man go. However, I am certain we shall see each other again soon." He smiled, it was greasy and arrogant and with a sinking feeling O'Connell knew he was going to have to watch his back.

He stepped out of the bar into the fading evening sunlight. He had to decide to either hold up here for the night, keep looking for Ash, or get Guun his supplies and head back to the ship. If she left the planet he could track her easily enough. It was while she was here that she eluded him. Cities, towns, remote villages, that was her domain. His was space. Still, he glanced around the square taking in the nearby inns and restaurants; the city itself didn't appear to be too extensive. Perhaps a night in the town might well allow him to find her. Find her and punish her.

'Of course,' he thought, 'Guun is going to be pissed.'


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Ashe settled into the back booth in the dimly lit tavern that was Tafrin's. She glanced at the room's occupants. Shrugging, she had to admit it wasn't the worst place she had ever been or worked in for that matter. Most of her adolescence had been spent in grittier places than this. But she had been young and the young had a way of seeing things differently. Still, the barmaid was bright eyed and talkative, the clientele mostly farmers, ranch hands. A few hotshots regaling wide eyed wenches with bogus stories of courage and skill. Nothing outwardly hostile or noteworthy. She glanced down at the bowl of stew the waitress placed in front of her, the half loaf of bread more appetizing than she cared to admit.

"Nothing else, mum? Tank 'a beer? Or a cuppa?" She seemed sweet and Ashe forgave her for the mum reference.

"That's it. Thank you." She turned her attention to her stew without completely ignoring the door. The bread was warm and crusty and smelled like heaven. The boy had almost made it to her table before she spotted him. She gave him full marks for making it that far unseen.

"Sit down," she said without looking at him.

He plopped his thin body into the bench seat, his impish grin greeting her across the table. She tossed him a chunk of bread that he grabbed and devoured greedily. "Well?"

""eh's here. Came in 'bout sundown." The boy gestured to her stew and she pushed the bowl toward him. She handed him the last of the bread and using it as a spoon he scooped the hot stew with gusto.

"Alone?" she asked, fascinated by his appetite.

He nodded. "Stopped at Mirium's first. Ha! Bad idea."

She grinned. "Something happen?"

He nodded again, his head practically bouncing off his shoulders. "Uh huh! Took out two of Lord _Craphole_'s men before leaving the place. Got Lariana in trouble though. She's gonna get the whip for sure." He shrugged. "She ain't never got the whip before. She never gets turned down."

"Lord _Craphole_?"

"Oh yeah. Master Marcus K'rier." The sarcasm in the boy's tone spoke volumes. "'e's a 'older and thinks 'is shit don't stink." Maluk swallowed the last of the stew a satisfied look on his face. "'e forgets we know 'im. We know where 'e came from." He winked, sharing the inside joke with her. "'Oy! Maybe I'll be a 'older someday, eh?"

Ashe connected the dots and sighed. Figures O'Connell would find the most dangerous man in town to make an enemy of. "Where is he now?" she asked, her tone intense and Maluk instantly switched gears.

"I left him at Pandora's. Better than Mirium's. Drinkin' a pint and watchin' the bar. Just like you then." Maluk grinned. "Whatcha want us ta' do now?"

"Stay on him. I assume he will be heading this way shortly." Ashe weighed her options. Staying here was out of the question now. He must have decided to stay in town, search her out. Which meant nowhere was safe for more than a few hours. Still, a wicked grin played across her face, even if that meant she had to return to V and head out she could still have fun with him.

"Mal… how good are you at shopping?"

His gave her a curious look. "Eh?"

She laughed as she laid out her plan, tossing him a small bag of coin to ensure its success. "Hurry now. Keep the others on him, finish this task and then meet me on the roof. Don't forget the hydro seal."

Maluk's eyes widened, impressed. "Got it."

"Be quick. I will only have an hour or so before he picks up my scent."

"Wha'?" He tried to sniff her from across the table.

She laughed. "Never mind. Go. Hurry!"

He nodded and disappeared into the crowd.

She flagged the waitress down and ordered another bowl of stew, this time with a pint. She knew O'Connell and she could easily estimate how much time it would take him to work his way across town to her position. She had time to eat, get to her room, gather her things and make it to the roof before he stumbled into the tavern. If the ale was particularly good at Pandora's, she might even have longer.

The stew was hot, but extremely satisfying. The bread and pint gave her a lovely, satisfied glow. Leaving the waitress a generous tip, she headed to her chamber. She had requested a room towards the back of the building, on the top floor. She had a balcony that overlooked a dark alley. Not particularly aesthetic, however as her intent was to use it to get to the roof, the view was hardly a priority.

She went over her plan. Keeping O'Connell occupied on the planet, while she left town was paramount. Her skills in the territories were better than his. But once they took flight, he was the superior hunter. They had made a good team for the past year, both in bed and out. There was a symmetry to the way they worked, almost as if they could read the other's mind and anticipate the other's thoughts and actions. It had made their hunting, or 'Collections and Retrievals' as Guun liked to call it, almost effortless.

'No, not effortless' she paused on the stairs to her room, her hand clutching the worn wooden railing, '_fun_. The last year with him has been the best time I have ever had.' Her mind flashed a kaleidoscope of memories. Laughing at a joke, sharing the thrill of the chase, teasing Guun, exploring planets, fighting, teasing, making love. Her breathe caught in her throat as the memory of his hands on her came to her like a blast of fire. His head thrown back in laughter, her head laying across his naked chest, listening to his laughter, his hands on hers, his lips on hers, his heart on hers.

"Arrhhh…" she growled aloud as she tore her hand from her death grip on the railing and moved forcefully up the stairs. 'It's gone now, girl. You threw it away to save the universe. No more O'Connell. No more Guun. All gone. Let it go.'

She paused a moment outside of her door. No more Guun either. Her eyes welled up with tears. She had spent as much time with Guun as she had with O'Connell, working on modifying the ships propulsion and scanning. He had started a friend and become a defacto big brother to her and she had loved him for it. She hoped with all her heart, he did not now hate her for what she had done.

Laying her head against the door, her hand on the doorknob, she paused for a moment. An image of Guun's mop of unruly red hair filled her mind and her breath caught in her throat. The thought of how disappointed in her he must be, crushing her. She had not had a choice! He must understand that. She had to make him understand!

Taking a breath she steadied herself, a short harsh laugh escaping her. There would be no explaining to Guun. She would never see his look of acceptance or forgiveness. She had done what she had to do; her love for Guun was merely collateral damage. Pulling herself from the door, she straightened her shoulders and whispered softly, "Miss you, Red."

She pushed the door to her room open, trying to brush the tears from her eyes. 'Won't cry. Stupid girl… won't cry,' she reprimanded herself. She stepped into the dark room, squeezing her eyes shut to stem the tears and pushed the door shut with a loud click.

Without warning a dank clothe was pressed against her face, covering her nose and mouth. Instinct and training kicked in and she tried to drop to the floor, her elbow smashing backwards, looking for a sweet spot, as she dropped. She heard a satisfying grunt and something crash before someone pulled her feet out from under her. Before she could kick out, her feet were bound together. She tried to swing a punch but she felt both her arms yanked behind her and roughly tied. She tried to find some leverage as she was held prone five feet off the floor and wondered distractedly how many of her captors there were, what the hell they were going to do with her and why her mind was growing so cloudy. Her last coherent thought was, 'Where the hell is O'Connell?'

Then there was only the darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Darkness enveloped him as he worked his way across the village square and that suited him just fine. The market area was now deserted, the stalls empty but for a few animals locked in their pens. He could hear the muffled conversations of tavern patrons huddled in small groups outside the bar, their mounts tied to the handrail near them. The animal's lazy grunts mixed with the raucous human laughter making him chuckle under his breath. Music, or what he thought must pass for music, came from the nearest tavern. It had taken him most of the early evening to cover the southern, eastern and northern sections of the square. There were only two places left for her to hide, both on the west side of town.

O'Connell pushed the door to Tafrin's open with a bit more frustration than was advisable for someone trying to go unnoticed. He was, without a doubt, growing increasingly more aggravated with her ability to elude him. This was what she did. This was her strength. Which was why they had made such a good team! She could sum up a city then meld in, disappear or hide in shadows until their mark practically fell into their laps. Scanning the tavern's patrons he felt pretty certain she had chosen to hide here. Her mop of blonde hair was nowhere to be seen at the moment, but the place oozed normal. And Ashe loved looking normal.

Taking in the assortment of farmers and fools filling the tables, he doubted that any of them would have seen her or remembered her even if they had. When Ashe didn't want someone to notice her, they didn't. She was that good. Still, it might be best to grab a bench and chat up the wenches. They saw everything and he could still charm the bodices off them. 'Literally', he thought smiling to himself, remembering Miriums.

He worked his way to the bar, his most charming smile at the ready. An elderly drunk had passed out at the counter, his head lying on the wooden top, drool dripping from his mouth. O'Connell gently pushed the man's hands away from the empty stool to his right and picking up the drunk's mottled hat from the bar, placed it over the man's face, blocking his slack expression from view. As he took his seat his elbow accidentally hit the back of a young woman who stood near the bar. The girl was obviously attempting to use her 'magic' on a tradesman who looked much too old and definitely too drunk to be able to pay for her services tonight.

Gesturing to the barkeep, he tried not to laugh as the girl turned to him, annoyed. It took her only a second to take in his youth, armor and weapon. The grin she turned on him was stunning, his attributes having forced a quick reassessment of his potential.

The barkeep approached him slowly and he took a moment to appreciate the woman's beauty. She didn't so much move towards him as flow, like cool water over a river stone. She had black hair that curled in profusion around her angular face and blue eyes that were frank and open, intelligence written clearly in them. She was physically fit, the outfit she wore caressing her in all the right places and the smile she gave him was welcoming. However when she turned to the girl next to him her eyes grew still, her expression neutral as she watched the girl gently disentangled herself from the tradesman and focus in on him.

She turned back to him and her smile was warm as she asked, "What can I get you darlin'?"

"Tankard of your finest miss…?" He let the question hang in the air.

The barkeep gave him a long, weary perusal and then smiled. "Gynni." She grabbed a tankard off the back shelf and began to pour from a rather large and well used spout.

O'Connell took the tankard from her, grinning devilishly. "Gynni." He smiled and bowed his head to her, then took a long swallow. The beer was surprisingly good.

"Don't you want to know my name?" the young wench next to him asked, pouting.

He turned and smiled his most charming smile. "Absolutely my love! I can't call you beauty all night now can I?"

"Well you could," she giggled. "I wouldn't mind, as long as you buy me a drink."

He almost choked on his beer. Young, yet straight to business. He motioned to Gynni who poured the young girl a straight shot. She drank it down in one swift motion, slamming the glass onto the bar. "Hmmm. That's the stuff!"

"Tessa," Gynni placed a tray on the bar and added two pints and a bowl of stew. "Take this to Ruck's table for me. Bessy is swamped."

Tessa's expression grew petulant. "That's not my job. I don't serve drinks!"

Gynni sighed and then leaned toward Tessa gently patting the girl's hand as it lay on the bar. "Tessa. Take this to Ruck's table." She spoke quietly, if anything O'Connell could have sworn there was no expression in her voice at all.

Tessa lowered her eyes and gulped audibly. "Yes Gynni." She turned toward O'Connell. "Sorry sir, I… I…"

O'Connell shrugged. "Its fine, Tessa."

She grabbed the tray and left, somehow traversing between tables with her head bowed.

"Sorry." Gynni watched the girl leave. "She is too young and too stupid to be working here."

O'Connell laughed. "I would have thought she was an asset. She's certainly a pretty young thing."

Gynni nodded. "True. However her parents are farmers. From Farout. Decent people, good friends. I took her in as a favor. She's been desperate her entire life to come to the big city. I guess they figured this was the only way to keep her from running away. They also thought I'd keep her safe."

O'Connell grinned. "How's that going?"

Gynni sighed and shook her head. "Trying to keep her safe from herself is a full-time job. Serving wasn't enough for her, oh no. She has to try wenchin'! Figure that, eh? Serving is beneath her, but buck naked under a man for money is glamorous?"

He almost spit out his beer. "Well, when you put it that way…"

Gynni smiled at him. "Why you here, handsome?"

O'Connell gave her points for directness and then put on his most innocent smile. "Just taking a time out on my travels."

She sighed and patted his hand as it lay on the bar. "Why are you here, handsome?" she asked again, this time emphasizing each word.

O'Connell gulped as a wave of warmth washed over him. It started where she touched his hand and then raced through is body like wildfire. Damn! He suddenly felt the urge to serve something to Ruck! He toyed with the idea of continuing with his cover story and then shrugged. It wouldn't fly with her anyway. "I am looking for a friend. Blonde, yeah high? She might have stopped in here tonight. Might have booked a room."

Gynni took his tankard from him and slowly filled it again. She placed it on the bar in front of him, watching his face the entire time. "Why you looking for this friend?"

O'Connell considered lying again and decided to trust this woman. There was something about her. "She took something from me. I just want it back, that's all."

She watched his face as he spoke. Reaching out she placed her hand on his cheek, feeling the set of his jaw with her fingertips, tracing the muscles beneath the skin. He stared at her, mesmerized by her touch.

The man who still lay passed out next to him snorted. The noise made her laugh and then she pulled her hand away. O'Connell felt a moment of loss which he couldn't explain.

"I believe you, stranger. I don't believe you mean this woman harm." O'Connell glanced down at the bartop, suddenly ashamed of his murdering fantasies. "However…"

O'Connell glanced up at her hesitation and saw her focusing on someone across the room. He glanced in that direction and saw the blonde kid from this morning. The one who had looted the merchant's caravan. The kid was frantically searching the tavern for something or someone. O'Connell's eyes shrank to tiny slits. He was pretty sure he knew who the kid was looking for.

Gynni caught the kid's eye and motioned for him to come over. The kid practically flew across the room. Jumping onto a nearby stool he leaned close to Gynni. "What is it?" she asked.

"She's gone! I went to the roof like she asked. But she's gone! And her room… I think they grabbed her in the room G! I can't find her anywhere!"

O'Connell continued to glare at the boy. "Who is gone?" he asked slowly, his voice dangerously low.

The boy turned to him, a scathing response on his tongue, and then he saw O'Connell and cried out, "Dung it! _You_ took 'er, didn' you!" The kid tried to lunge at him but Gynni put her hand on the boy and he immediately calmed.

"Someone took her? From _my house_?" Gynni appeared on the verge of raising her voice. The kid's eyes grew wide with either fear or wonder, O'Connell couldn't tell. Gynni obviously did not lose her temper often.

"The… the room's a mess G. I waited on the roof like she asked. I waited and waited," the kid looked like he might burst into tears, "but she didn't come. So I went to 'er room. I did what she asked. Honest. I didn't rat 'er out. I don't know why she got took. I swear! I didn't rat 'er out! She gave me bread, G. She gave me her suppa… I didn't rat her out…" The last bit was garbled as the tears the kid had tried to hide began to spill over.

Gynni poured a shot of something dark red and handed it to the kid. "Drink this, darlin', you'll feel better." The kid took the drink and tried to sip it between his hiccups. She turned to O'Connell, concern and anger in her eyes. "We need to talk."

O'Connell nodded.

"Bess," she gestured to the serving girl who appeared at her side almost magically. "You have the bar. Tessa is serving. And for god's sake make sure she doesn't scowl the entire time!"

"Got it, Gynni." Bess seemed almost thrilled at the prospect of reaming Tessa.

Gynni gestured to a door to the right of the bar. "Rooms are back here. Maluk? You betta' now hon? You should come with us."

Maluk nodded and downed the last of his red sweetwater in one gulp.

Gynni pushed open the door, exposing a dimly light passage. Two doors led off the south wall, but she ushered them to the large staircase in the back. "Rooms are upstairs. Hers is on the third floor. She wanted one with a balcony. The only one I had faces the alley. I thought that strange at first. But I have had stranger requests." She moved swiftly, her steps forceful as they climbed the stairs. Her words were punctuated with what O'Connell could only assume was anger.

"It was the roof G. We was meetin' on the roof." Maluk raced up the stairs, one minute ahead, one minute behind.

'This kid's as annoying as hell,' O'Connell groaned.

"Yes. I see that now, darlin'."

They were quiet as they moved down the hall passing three other rooms on their way. Gynni tried the door handle but it was locked. She reached in her pocket and took out her collection of keys. Locating the right one she slid it into the keyhole. The door opened about a foot and then caught on something. The room was dark, so she reached her hand to the side of the door, but where the lamp should be sitting there was only empty air. "Damn it!" she growled.

O'Connell moved past her, pushed open the door and stepped into the room. He held his M-9 at the ready, but he was fairly certain no one had stayed behind. Letting his eyes adjust to the dim moonlight, he spotted a lamp across the room and switched it on.

Signs of a struggle were evident. The smashed lamp by the bed. Carpet crumpled. The bed had a slight indentation in it. There was a depression in covers near the edge. He moved toward the balcony. The doors to the balcony were open, as if she might be waiting outside. The balcony itself was small two feet wide, three feet long. He glanced over the edge and judged the distance to the ground at thirty feet. Certainly close enough to lower a well bound and unconscious woman to the ground. He ran his hand over the banister along its length. He could feel, on the back edge of a section, a recent rough abrasion and his heart sank. He searched the walls around the balcony, hoping to find a sign that she had escaped. But with a sinking heart, he knew he would find none.

He moved back inside the room. "Four men. Two there," he pointed to a spot in the room, "one there and one behind the door. They jumped her, probably drugged her with something quickly, over her mouth. Kept her quiet." O'Connell felt fear creeping into his voice and he doubled his efforts to focus on his anger. "She elbowed one of them. Hopefully in the groin. He knocked over the lamp. Then they wrapped her up quick and tight. After she lost consciousness they put her on the bed while they attached the rope and readied the drop. Then they lowered her over the balcony to the alley."

Maluk turned to Gynni. "Why? Why did 'e take her? She didn't know nobody. 'Cept him! She just wanted to stay away from him!" Maluk pointed accusingly at O'Connell.

"Hush, Maluk." She placed her arm around the boy's shoulders to comfort him and then sighed in annoyance. "Get your hand out of my pocket, Maluk or I will cut it off."

Maluk turned his face into her skirts, slowly removing his hand from beneath her apron.

"Kid. You said you 'did what she asked'. What did you do?" O'Connell asked, his voice harsh, his tone cold. He had a sinking sensation that whatever errand she had sent the kid on had brought unwanted attention to herself. If he found out that the kid's clumsiness had anything to do with Ashe's abduction, he'd happily kill the kid.

Maluk glared at him from behind Gynni's apron. "I bought stuff."

O'Connell took a step toward him, thinking he might just shake the truth out of the boy.

Gynni squatted down and turned the boy so he was looking right at her. "What sort of things did she ask you to buy, hon'?"

Maluk calmed as she spoke to him. "I bought stuff from Nick's shop. Coffee, some cream, toilet paper. And some bolts from Tiarn. Oh… and a hydro seal. Bought the best one Tiarn had!"

O'Connell's forward motion came to an abrupt stop.

"Where did you take these things after you bought them?" Gynni's voice continued to be soothing and Maluk couldn't help but respond.

"Took most of 'em out to a ship, out past the gully. Gave 'em to a guy named Guun. He was nice, gave me a silva!"

O'Connell felt shame creeping into his emotional maelstrom. He had been so busy drinking ale and chatting up the local girls in his search for Ashe he had completely forgotten about Guun. Ashe hadn't. 'Damn it girl! Where the hell are you?' he growled softly.

"Then what did you do Maluk?"

"I came back 'ere, G. Went to the roof and waited. That's where she wanted to meet. On the roof. I don't know why she wanted to meet there. She just said to meet 'er on the roof. Honest!" His voice began to crack again. "I didn't say nuthin' to anyone I swear. Why did 'e take her, G? I like 'er!" he gulped and then offered, "Besides, she still owes me money."

"That's lovely, Maluk." Gynni shook her head and stood up.

"Who the hell is this _he_ that the kid keeps referring to?" O'Connell asked angrily.

"I am afraid your friend may have been taken by our local, ruffian. Well," she scowled, "he likes to call himself a Privateer. But that is just a glamorous name for a thug or gangster."

"Privateer?" O'Connell suddenly had trouble breathing.

"Yes. He usually works over local girls. If their parents are poor. Deals in girls, drugs, land, livestock." Gynni's expression was apologetic. "I have to admit I have no explanation for this. Your friend was very quiet, unobtrusive. Other than being a stranger, she made every effort to appear to be no one special. Plus he never sends boys to my tavern. My father will have his head for this."

"His name?" O'Connell was still having trouble breathing.

"Name? Oh, Marcus K'rier. He's wealthy, mind you. Being a thief and a soulless bastard has worked well for him."

O'Connell turned his back on them both and tried to stop the racing of his heart. 'Holy shit, holy shit,' was all his brain could manage to repeat.

Gynni watched his back, the sag of his shoulders; the way he kept running his hand threw his hair. "Honey… have you met Marcus?"

He nodded, trying to form a plan, any plan to stop his brain from screaming the truth at him.

"You have a run in with him, darlin'? You think he might be holding a grudge against you? Bad enough to find a way to get at you?" Gynni's tone was at once both gentle and yet filled with comprehension.

O'Connell kept his back to her, afraid to look into her eyes, and nodded again.

Maluk let out a growl. "You! You did this! This is _all your fault_!" He lunged at O'Connell, his fists small but strong.

O'Connell focused on the pain in his lower back and hip. Damn the kid had a punch! He had a sudden flashback to the look the kid had given him at the bar. He turned and grabbed the kid by the shirt front, lifting him into the air. "I have one problem with this," his voice was low, tense, angry. Maluk dropped his hands to his side. "How did that asshole connect Ashe and me? You are the only person on this planet, besides her and I, who knew there was a connection. You knew me when you saw me. What did you do?" O'Connell had started to growl.

"I did nuthin'! I didn't tell no one!" Maluk was angry too. Then his expression grew surprised, followed quickly by heartbroken. "Weren't just me…" he whispered.

O'Connell, furious with the boy, shook him for being too slow with his information.

"Hey! She told me to get some guys to help. Two on each end'a town. We split up later. Two followed you, I bought that stuff and Jer'a went… went..." His face went blank.

"Went where?" O'Connell made as if to shake him again and Maluk shrieked.

"I don't know! Last I saw him was outside Pandora's! I swear!" Maluk's eyes were wide, his fear of being shaken again evident.

Gynni stepped toward them both and gently removed Maluk from O'Connell's grasp. "It seems you are both responsible in some way for your friend's abduction."

O'Connell glared at her for a moment, then sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Yeah. Yeah, I guess so."

"Then perhaps we can devise a way for you to get your friend back." She paused as she watched his features. "If you still want to that is. Marcus, for all his greed and perverseness, is actually quite intelligent. If, as I suspect, he did not take your friend to sell her on the slave market…"

O'Connell's head snapped up at this. "I'll fraggin' kill him, I swear…"

"Yes well, much as I might rejoice in that," Gynni continued, "I don't think he wants her for that. I think he took her to get to you. You must have seriously pissed him off."

He shook his head and sighed. "It's what I do. I piss people off. Royally."

Gynni grinned. "Well let's decide how to free your friend, over a cuppa. I have to inform my father that Marcus has broken an Unwritten Law. And Maluk, you need to find out if anyone has seen Jer'a this evening."

"On it!" The boy squirmed out of her hands and raced from the room.

O'Connell frowned. "You think that's wise?"

Gynni gave a slight smile. "Obviously or I would not have done it."

O'Connell shook his head, trying to get the image of Ashe struggling against her captors out of his head. He felt Gynni's hand on his and immediately felt calmer.

"Come. A cuppa, some stew and a good plan. We will find your friend before you know it." She led him out of the room toward the stairs.

Even with her calming touch he could feel his hatred of Marcus K'rier roil his guts. His response to her was low and guttural, "Find her and eviscerate Master K'rier."

Gynni grinned. "Yes well if that happens, so much the better!"

A harsh bark of laughter escaped him and he had to admit, he really liked this woman.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The tavern's kitchen was warm and spacious. Gynni set them up at one of the tables, placing a bowl of stew and a half loaf of bread in front of him. When he looked as if too ignore it she shook her head. "You need to eat. We don't know how long it will take to hear from my father or Maluk. Besides if Marcus has taken her to D'sai then you will be glad of the food in your belly."

"D'sai?" O'Connell asked.

"His Territory. Large estate. Probably one of the biggest. Murdered two other Territory holders to secure it." She poured them both some wine. "Wasn't all that upset about it at the time. Hated the guys he killed. Thought they were worse than he was. Appears I was wrong."

O'Connell raised an eyebrow.

Gynni shrugged. "Neither of them would have dared conduct business in my place. Or break any of the Unwritten Laws." She pushed her stew around the bowl, cooling it. Tearing off a hunk of bread she bit off a piece, chewing thoughtfully. "Doesn't make any sense though. So he has her, you chase her, he gets you. Then he has you both. So?" Her eyes wandered over his body making him feel uncomfortable. It felt as if she were assessing him, seeing deep into his soul; if he thought for one minute he actually had one.

"You're not worth more than I think you are, are ya handsome?" she asked, her grin wicked.

He shook his head. "I swear! I'm not worth anything to anyone!"

She laughed. "Well I doubt that. Still…what did happen to set him off?"

O'Connell shrugged and gave her a run down on the events at Mirium's.

When he was done, she sighed. "Oh dear. Poor Larianna." She stopped chewing; feeling the lashes the girl must have received. "Again though… hardly seems worth breaking an Unwritten Law. Marcus must know my father will be furious. And the council! Well… that goes without saying."

"What the hell are these unwritten laws you keep talking about?" O'Connell smashed a hunk of bread into his stew, annoyed. He hated this planet, he hated this city, and he really hated this man. 'But this stew is really, really good,' he admitted grudgingly.

"The Unwritten Laws," she said the names reverently, "are agreements, contracts agreed upon by the elders centuries ago. They are binding, sacrosanct and to break just one is to bring death upon yourself."

O'Connell sighed. "OOoww… scary!" he mocked. "Maybe he's not afraid of death or your dad?"

Gynni shook her head. "Impossible."

"He's that much of a badass? Your dad?"

Gynni laughed. "Ha! He would love to hear you say that. No, it's not that he is a bad ass. He is the Altro. The protector if you will. The Living Law."

Taking a large swig of wine, O'Connell shrugged. "Still sounds like he's not afraid of the consequences. Taking Ashe and luring me into a trap… I don't see the value of it unless he just doesn't fear the end result."

"Fear it?" Gynni sipped her wine. "Oh no. He fears it. But for some reason you and your friend became worth the risk. The question is, why?" She stared at him again, and again he felt as if he was being taken apart, molecule by molecule. Evaluated, tested, and then reassembled.

Maluk burst into the kitchen, a blonde haired whirlwind. "Got him G! Found Jer'a!" He panted, seemingly out of breath. O'Connell took it for an act.

"Sit child. Tell me what you found out and I will get you some cake." Maluk plopped himself next to her on the bench and grinned.

O'Connell glared at him. He really didn't like this kid. "Well? Spill it!" he growled.

The anticipation of cake made Maluk unflappable. "'e told! Jer'a told. 'e's gonna get whipped."

"Speed it up, kid. When, where, how. All the details."

"Oh," Maluk paused, saddened as he imagined it, "well, probably tomorrow. At the Tossa. 'e'll probably get the whip, but maybe… they'll be nice and just…"

Gynni laid her hand on the boy's shoulder, placing a large slice of chocolate cake in front of him. "I think he means who did Jer'a talk to, when did he talked to them and where was he when he did."

"Oh!" Maluk grabbed a fork and began to shove cake in his mouth.

O'Connell reached out and grabbed the cake away. "Listen kid. Tell me what you know now or I will feed this cake to you through your ass."

Gynni shook her head and tried to suppress a laugh.

Maluk glared at O'Connell. "She's my friend too." When O'Connell made to stand Maluk raised his hands in submission. "Ok! Ok. Jer'a said one a K'rier's guys was asking around about an off-worlder. Tall guy, black leather, red stripe, looks like the back end of a Teufler."

O'Connell didn't know what a Teufler was, but he could tell from Maluk's expression it was not a compliment. He decided to ignore the insult. Another first for him.

"_And_?"

"And Jer'a told him 'e knew the guy. Was actually followin' him for a client."

"And the little twerp told them who the client was?"

"Eat Mulosk dung!" Maluk defended his friend. "Jer'a'd never rat out a client!" Then he paused and looked away. "Well, not until they beat the crap out of 'im. Then maybe, 'e told 'em what 'e knew."

O'Connell looked as if to dispute the beating.

"How bad, Maluk?" Gynni sat on the bench, her expression concerned.

Maluk shook his head, staring into the fireplace. "'e aint walkin' nowhere too soon." The boy appeared to brush something off his cheek and O'Connell rolled his eyes. Damn the kid was good.

O'Connell tossed the boy's plate back to him. "So where's your father?" he growled at Gynni.

She stood and moved toward one of the back cabinets. "He will be here shortly." She opened the cupboard and pulled out a dark canvas bag. Rifling through its contents she pulled out two dark vials and a small roll of bandages. "Maluk. Jer'a was brought to the L'aini, yes?" When he nodded between mouthfuls, she continued, "Bring these to Sister Keli. She will know what to do with them. Then come right back. You hear me?"

Maluk turned from his contemplation of the fire and glanced longingly at the cake. "Oh here, silly boy." Gynni placed the vials and bandage into a pouch and scrapped the cake onto a cloth. "There you can eat it as you go!"

Maluk grinned. "On my way," he said as jumped off the bench.

"And Maluk. Tell Sister Keli I will make my way there as soon as possible." He nodded and raced out the door, trying to shove the entire piece of cake into his mouth.

O'Connell watched him rush off and then followed Gynni as she settled herself back onto the bench. "You are someone important, aren't you?"

Gynni grinned. "Aren't we all?"

O'Connell let out a short harsh laugh. "Ok. Yeah. That sounded bad. But you know what I mean."

Gynni nodded. "I do. I am called the Vigatorus. The… Healer if you will. Which is why Marcus's crime is so unthinkable."

"Why? 'Cause you heal people?" O'Connell snorted. "I've seen men kill a doc 'cause he wouldn't give them a vita shot." O'Connell was surprised at her naivete.

"No… I am fully aware that off-world healers are, well, as you say, just as likely to be killed as anyone. But here, on Veronus 3 the Unwritten Laws protect the Vigatorus. The Vigatorus and all who dwell under her roof. That is why…"

"That's the law he broke?" O'Connell interrupted her. "By taking Ashe from under your roof he broke the law? But anywhere else it would have been ok?" he asked angrily.

"No. No!" Gynni protested vehemently. "It would have been against the law, somewhere else. Necessitating pursuit, capture, a trial and punishment. But here, in my home, it is against the Unwritten Laws."

O'Connell stared at her. "This place is messed up," was all he could say.

The kitchen door burst open and a man, draped completely in black entered. He stood taller than O'Connell. Taller even, O'Connell dared to bet, than Guun. The only visible part of his body was his eyes and he used those to take the room apart in a steady intense gaze that passed over Gynni and ended on himself. O'Connell felt once again as if he were being taken apart and analyzed. 'What the hell is it with this place?' he thought.

'Gotta be dad, shit he's impressive!' he admitted. 'Gotta be a family thing.' Standing, he nodded to the man in black. "Names O'Connell. It seems we have a mutual enemy."

A low laugh issued from Gynni and he glanced at her.

"What?" he asked, annoyed.

She stood and went to the man's side. "Karl." She bowed her head in greeting "Where is my…" she was interrupted by the arrival of a considerably smaller man. He stood no higher than O'Connell's waist. He wore what appeared to be hastily donned pants and a white silken shirt that hung untucked down to his knees. His hair was as black a Gynni's and he sported a dark goatee.

Gynni knelt when he entered, her head bowed. If O'Connell still held any doubts as to who the diminutive man was, the icy blue eyes he turned on him crushed the last of his hopes. "Holy crap," was all he could think to say.

"I agree," Gynni's father replied. He stared at O'Connell with that same piercing, molecular assessing gaze that Gynni and the giant had given him. O'Connell began to grow irritated.

"What _is_ it with this planet?" he growled.

The man turned his attention back to his daughter. "Gynni. Clarify."

She stood and went over the events of the evening as they moved to the kitchen table. O'Connell was surprised to find the man moved with determined grace. As he sat upon the bench and Gynni handed him a glass of the wine, O'Connell had to admit even as small as he was, the man exuded authority. He motioned to O'Connell to sit and O'Connell was surprised to find he was still standing.

"And you are O'Connell." It was not a question. "I am Garulus, the Altro." He nodded to O'Connell. His voice echoed with power, as if it resonated in a deep canyon before it hit O'Connell's ears. "I am sorry a denizen of our world has brought this sorrow upon you."

O'Connell clenched his fists as he fought off his fears. "Where is she? What will he do to her? I need to find her… now!" He leaned forward in his impatience and Gynni reached out and laid her hand on one of his clenched fists.

"You will, O'Connell. Soon. But let us prepare first. My father will have a plan."

O'Connell felt the weight of his fears recede once again. He felt calm, patient even. Willing to listen to the man before him, hopeful that there was a plan to save Ashe. O'Connell yanked his hands out from under Gynni's. 'In fact,' he thought, 'I don't feel anything like myself at all when she touches me. I don't think I like that.'

Gynni gave him an apologetic smile. "We must keep level heads."

"I do have a plan. Karl." Garulus motioned and the giant crossed the space between them in one stride. He pulled a large parchment from somewhere out of his black garment and handed it to the Altro. He then stepped back to the kitchen door, his eyes returning to their constant scanning of the room.

Garulus unrolled the scroll, a detailed map of the city and its surrounding territories evident. "We are here. Here is D'sai."

"All of the outlined blue parts?" O'Connell asked, impressed. K'rier wasn't kidding; he really was a Territory Holder. It seemed he held most of the damn planet.

"Yes." Garulus paused, turning his attention to O'Connell. "I have to ask young man, what is your intent?"

"My intent?" O'Connell repeated.

"Yes…" Garulus appeared annoyed, "Your purpose. Your mission. Your desire if you will."

"I know what the word means!" O'Connell grumbled. "Just don't know what you mean by it!"

"Fair enough." Garulus sighed. "What do you intend to do? What is the extent of your desire? Do you wish to simply rescue your friend? Punish those who may have injured her? Kill Marcus? At what point will you feel your 'mission' has been successful and you may leave this planet?"

O'Connell stepped back, disconcerted. With both pairs of icy blue eyes on him he took a moment to contemplate his response. 'Damn it!' he grumbled. 'I never contemplate!' He leaned forward his expression set. "I want Ashe back. And when I have that, if I find out he has hurt her in any way…" he stressed the last part with a growl, "well… I am _not_ a forgiving man."

Garulus nodded, a smile playing with his lips. "That is excellent for neither am I."

O'Connell returned his grin, deciding he liked this guy. "So what the hell's your plan then?"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The pain in her wrists and shoulders was the only thing strong enough to pierce the darkness in her mind. Her arms were stretched above her head and her feet dangled loosely below her. From the amount and quality of the pain, it quickly became obvious she was strung up by the cord wrapped tightly around her wrists, dangling over some treacherous pit, no doubt. Eyes firmly shut she tried to lift her head from her chest and found the task impossible. She took a deep breath, trying to silence the voice in her head that kept screaming, 'What the hell is going on?'

'All right, all right. Calm down and think, girl. Think!' She moved her feet and felt them swing effortlessly, coming in contact with nothing but air. With great effort she tentatively opened one eye. The light was either dim, or she was reeling from a concussion because she could only see as far as the toe of her boot. 'Uh… crap,' she groaned, the pain shooting down her arms and across her shoulders.

'All right, what the hell happened?' She succeeded in lifting her head, forcing herself to open both eyes. Searching her memory she tried to place the reason for her present situation. She remembered running from O'Connell and the forced landing on this damn planet. She had a glimpse of the town, the tavern and then eating some stew before making her way to her room. It all seemed a bit fuzzy at first, but then with a jarring suddenness she remembered a cloth pressed against her nose and mouth, hands dragging her down, and then nothing.

"Wonderful," she muttered. Using what limited strength and movement she had, she scanned the room. The dim light revealed little. The room was circular, holding only one obvious entrance located on the wall above her. A stone staircase began at the door and led down to the floor below her. If she moved her feet in a circular motion she could slowly rotate her body to see the entire room. Though the floor was cloaked in darkness, she could just make out the top of a table on one side. The table appeared to be covered with shiny instruments that Ashe decided not to dwell on. The only source of light was a single fixture near the door.

'What the hell is going on?' she stopped her circular motion and allowed the rope that held her to slowly rotate her back to her starting position. 'Slavers?' she pondered. Yet this seemed much too elaborate. Slavers would simply have tossed her unconscious body onto a ship and she'd be in transport by now. Hostage? Again not likely. No one knew her on this planet, she had no value! She was a woman, so prostitution seemed a motive, but again the position she found herself in strongly suggested torture. From the feeling that was returning to her bones she assumed it was torture yet to come.

She glanced at each thigh, not surprised to find her pulse lasers gone. She still had her boots on though, if she could lift her torso high enough, she might be able to activate the hidden knife in the toe of her boot, maybe cut the rope. Focusing all her strength on her midriff she tried to lift her legs up. She had pulled them almost to her waist, when she started to pass out. 'Crap,' she moaned as her head bobbed back to her chest, still reeling from whatever it was they had given her.

The scraping sound above her head could only mean one thing. The door to the room had opened, and someone was coming. She tensed, but tried to appear as if she was still passed out. If the guard was careless, if there weren't any camera's in here, if the floor wasn't too far away and if he came close enough, she might be able to wrap her legs around his neck and throttle the man.

'That's a lot of _if's,_ girl,' she thought despondently. The scraping of footsteps on stone suddenly ended. She could hear the man breathing in the darkness. Trying to maintain the illusion of unconsciousness was difficult when she could sense he stood no more than fifteen feet away, staring at her. The sound of his breathing was almost deafening in the silent room.

He cleared his throat before he said, "Lights."

She flinched as the brightness assailed her eye lids.

"My, my," the distinctly male voice caressed her, "you are even more beautiful than my men described." There was a slight pause then he added, "How fortunate for me."

Ashe could hear the education in the speech, the arrogance in his tone. Even if she were not suspended in mid-air in what could only be described as his dungeon, waiting to be tortured, Ashe knew she would hate this man. She decided to give up the unconscious ruse, he wasn't buying it anyway. Lifting her head she slowly opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light. Keeping her expression blank, she took in his appearance. Fine leather boots, dark wine colored silken trousers that neatly outlined his pride and joy, white silken shirt open at the collar, brown hair cascading across his shoulders. His dark brown eyes were piercing, intelligent and hungry. He had a day's growth of stubble on his face that she knew was affectation. It didn't matter. The man was gorgeous, and he knew how to play every taught, tanned muscle in his body. Even the quirky little lift to his mouth that made him appear to be at once both pleasantly amused and intensely sensual. What frightened her most though, was the intelligence in his eyes.

He made a tsk tsk sound which irritated the hell out of her. "You hanging here will simply not do." He turned from her and crossed the room to the table. She saw his fingers move across something, perhaps a panel? Then suddenly she was being lowered to the floor. When her feet hit solid ground she groaned with relief as her body weight came off her shoulders and wrists. Then her feet went out from under her and she slide to the floor.

She lay there in a crouched position, her blonde hair covering her face. Ashe knew she would only have one chance to lunge, while he thought she was incapacitated. She gathered her strength and decided a slight whimper might be the only way to get him close enough to her so that she would have enough loose rope to maneuver.

She tightened her muscles, preparing to spring, allowing a soft moan to escape her lips.

"Hmmm," he purred like a hungry animal, "what a lovely sound. Though," he began to chuckle under his breathe, "you may want to stand. The confinement field will reach a height of five feet in ten seconds. I suggest you don't find yourself below that mark. I am so very much looking forward to speaking with you."

Ashe growled. Confinement field? Crap! She quickly gathered her strength, already feeling the increased gravity pulling on her feet. Roiling with anger she pushed herself into a standing position as she felt the additional gravity pull on her feet, her legs, then her arms as they lay, still tied, against her belly. The density of the air increased until all movement below her shoulders was impossible. The only part of her she could move was her head, as it was past the edge of the field. It also left her able to speak.

"There now, pet. Was that so difficult?" His grin was salacious as he lounged against the table, watching her.

She kept her face expressionless, waiting.

He took his time, working his way up her body with his eyes. He held something in his hand, she couldn't tell what it was, but it was about a half meter long, cylindrical and he kept tapping himself on the cheek with it as he gazed at her. "Where to start? Where to start… hmmm…" He moved toward her, graceful, sensual, coming to a stop less than a foot from her.

His proximity to her and his continued movement amazed her. 'The gravity field has to be very tight. Damn good technology,' she admitted grudgingly.

The smile he offered her was filled with both fire and ice. "I know you are angry with me. Which makes this… well, only slightly more difficult. However, I find myself wishing we had met under different circumstances. That your, how shall I say, association with that leather bound cretin hadn't forced me to accelerate things."

Ashe kept her expression blank but her mind was reeling. O'Connell? Did this have something to do with O'Connell? What the hell had he gotten her into now? And what _things _was he talking about?

"So I will begin with an apology. I am truly sorry," he said as he pointed to her feet with the short staff he held, "for this. I would have preferred to convince you to dine with me. Served you the best I have to offer. Dishes to tempt your palette and wines to dazzle your senses. I would have taken the time to seduce you properly." He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "I would have reveled in every moment in your exquisite company," his voice was warm and dark, like chocolate. His breathe was hot against her skin and sent shivers down her neck. She found herself staring forward, forcing herself to not pull away.

"However," he said as he leaned back again and she returned her gaze to his face, "your association with the barbarian complicates things. If he is your protector, as it appears, then I admit he is not without skills and must therefore be eliminated."

Anger caused her to respond. "Protector? Ha!" She tried to gesture with her hands and was reminded of her complete paralyzation, opting instead to growl in frustration.

A languid, eager smile crossed his lips at her response. He bowed his head to her, his eyes never leaving her face. "I apologize, my lady. I assume too much."

She immediately regretted her outburst. No response at all would have been more dignified. But, as she has already blown dignified, she decided to throw caution to the wind.

"What do you want?" Directness was her favorite approach when it came to business. As he obviously wanted her alive and he thought she was valuable enough to have a protector, then this was no slavery heist. Ransom maybe? Perhaps he thought she had titular value? No… this wasn't an arbitrary assault. This was business.

He grinned. "That is a difficult question to answer. You see I know so much about you already. And yet, I need to understand so much more…"

When her eyes narrowed as if to contest his lie, he laughed. "All right. Let's see. You arrived separately from your… sorry, the leather bound goon. You entered the town and immediately befriended the locals. You then set up a perimeter which I can only assume was to avoid contact with," he shook his head as if trying to find the right word, "the _barbarian_. You took a moment to shop, and then relaxed at T'afrins. Fed a local ruffian. Then enjoyed a passable meal yourself." He paced as he spoke, each step allowing his silken clothing to shimmer in the light, accentuating his taught body. Ashe new he was aware of the effect.

"As I have been so far unsuccessful in locating your ship, this suggests technology superior to my own." He turned towards her, his hands open, his expression appealing. "All of this is interesting, however I believe you asked me what I want. At this moment, what I _want_ is to know more. I find myself wanting to trust you. I find myself believing that that cleverness, that intellect I see in your eyes might just be a twin to my own." He began to circle her, never touching her. Still, she could feel his gaze all over her body. He stopped and from behind, whispered in her ear, his tone almost pleading, "I want you to get to know me, understand me, and then perhaps you will help me acquire what I need."

'Help him?' Ashe thought, 'What the hell is he talking about?'

He continued forward until he stood directly in front of her. His voice was contemplative when he spoke. "So many men use pain to motivate."

Ashe felt the blood rush from her face.

He sighed dramatically. "Such a waste I feel. Pain is… counterproductive. I want us to be friends," he practically cooed and the smile he gave her was filled with confidence and hunger, as if her cooperation was a forgone conclusion and his anticipation of it almost unbearable. He leaned forward and whispered against her cheek, "Very, very good friends."

She began to feel annoyed, which brought some of the color back to her face. 'Just fraggin' do something already!' she thought, this time however she said nothing.

"First an introduction," as he spoke he breached the slight distance between them with his hand. She could feel the short staff he held press against her right thigh but could not move to push him away. She also noted that he seemed impervious to the dampening field. This suggested he had a disruptor somewhere on his body, if only she could figure out what or where, and take it. "My name is Marcus K'rier."

Ashe sucked in her breath as she felt a tingle of heat and vibration touch her skin. It was not altogether unpleasant. She glanced down and could just make out the staff he held move a little higher on her thigh.

"I am a Privateer… of sorts." He bowed his head for a moment. "A successful businessman, with holdings on and off-world. A traveler, an investor, and a bit of an archeologist. A man of some means." He smiled at her, that arrogant, knowing smile, his eyes caressing her. Then suddenly she felt it again. That same burst of heat and vibration and tingling; like a thousand small volts cursing along her skin. She gulped in a breath.

His grin deepened, if possible his eyes grew even darker. "I don't say this to impress you. I can tell wealth alone would not be the means to accomplish that. I simply wish you to know everything there is to know about me." The staff rose higher, tracing a path of sparks and pleasure along her arm. "I so desperately want you to _understand_ me." The staff reached her upper arm and he grabbed both ends and pressed it across her chest. The staff continued to emit small blue pulses that raced across her skin like lightening. Even through the leather she wore she could feel her body responding to the sensations. Her breathing quickened.

Marcus stepped toward her, leaning against the staff, its width and her bound hands the only things separating them now. He caused it to pulse, slowly, like a patient lover wanting to bring her body to its peak of excitement.

"Tell me your name," he whispered in a voice like honey and dark wine.

Ashe fought the urge to respond. Her body was screaming at her, pulsing with desire in time with the rod, aching for release. Marcus leaned in as if to kiss her and she turned her head violently to the side. It was one of the hardest things she had ever done; refuse him, while her entire body was screaming at her to respond.

"What harm is in a name, my beauty?" He leaned in and began to nibble the side of her throat working his way up toward her chin and her mouth. With each bite he sparked the staff until she was gasping. She made a defiant, growling sound. She had lost the ability to form words.

He paused, his lips playing with the corner of her mouth. "So defiant. So strong. I will call you _Digladior_. It means '_fierce one'_ on this world. Will this please you?" As she turned her head, fully intent on telling him to shove it, he dropped the staff lower. He held it between them; it connected their bodies in the most intimate manner. She could feel her eyes grow wide in fear, as his chocolate brown ones caught and held hers. His pupils were dilated, his gaze barely able to lift from her mouth.

"All is want to do is pleasure you," he whispered against her lips. Then he sparked the staff, an intense burst that sent her reeling as he caught her mouth with his own. He kissed her passionately, sensually, pulsing the staff in time with his mouth and tongue. She tried to remain stoic but she found herself responding with increasing vigor with every pulse of the staff.

'Crapohcrapohcrapohgod….' was all she could think. She moaned, for one second glad of the stupid dampening field as she was sure her legs would no longer hold her.

Ashe never even heard the sound that distracted him. She only felt him pull away from her, heard his curse. Turning her head away from him she tried to gasp for breath, tried to calm the beating of her heart.

He crossed to the table and hit something on it violently. "_What_?" he yelled.

She couldn't hear the response to his question, only saw his shoulders slump and watch as he nodded his head. "Yes, yes fine. I will be there shortly. No! You idiot! See her into the library. Wait with her there. Do _not_ leave her side. Do you hear me?"

He reached out and hit something again. Then ran his hand through his brown hair and sighing, straightened his shoulders and turned to her. "I am sorry, Digladior," he said the name with a caress. "Tonight is no longer ours."

She could feel her senses returning and she tried to pull away from him. She ached for the freedom to kick him in the groin. The way his silken trousers fell, it was obvious that it would hurt a great deal.

His eyes scanned her body again, lingering on her lips and he growled softly, impatiently. "When I return we will finish… getting to know one another and you will perhaps tell me where_ it_ is?"

Ashe couldn't help the look of confusion that crossed her face.

"For now," he murmured sensually, "I will not leave you so unsatisfied." In one quick movement he crossed the space between then, captured her lips with his and shoving the staff against her thighs, pulsed it to an intensity that made her eyes roll back in her head. A deep moan escaped her lips and she could hear the satisfaction in his voice as he whispered in her ear. "Sleep now, my beauty. Sleep until I return." She could feel his lips on hers again and then the darkness enveloped her.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Garulus' plan was simple. He and his men would boldly march to K'rier's front door, demand the return of the prisoner and force K'rier to face the council's judgment for breaking an Unwritten Law. With there being little to no chance of this plan working, O'Connell, a guide and two of Garulus' best men would use Garulus' distraction and sneak into his place the back way, find Ashe, and get her out.

O'Connell liked the plan. He and Ashe had worked their magic with similar plans more often than he cared to admit. She was gifted at finding 'back doors' to places everyone told them were impenetrable. And he, well his gift was what Ashe liked to call 'removing obstacles'. He called it kicking ass. Just sounded better in his head.

After Gynni had grilled him about patience and the joy of waiting until the opportune moment to strike, they had boarded a low riding transport. The only way to approach K'rier's homestead unseen was to move through the dense forest that lay directly to the north and west of his place and covered the land for miles. The only way to get to that forest undetected was to take transport to one of the villages closer to it.

Garulus had assigned two of his best men to travel with him. The men had arrived unkempt, dressed in faded brown leather and were as nondescript as you could get. O'Connell liked the M-5's strapped to their sides. It was a good gun, almost as reliable as his M-9, though a bit older and cheaper. But the age of the gun added to their look. In fact their entire presence screamed, _Ignore me, I'm no one._ Until you looked straight into their eyes; that's when you saw their training, that's when you knew their skill. O'Connell had been satisfied with Garulus' choice of back up. Not so much with his choice of scout.

O'Connell sat stoned faced on the transport, feeling the machine humming beneath his feet as the miles passed below them and remembered his conversation with Garulus. It had not gone well.

"HIM?" O'Connell's gesture had been unpleasant. "Not a chance."

Garulus had shaken his head, his gaze questioning. "I'm sorry. I thought you wanted to rescue your friend?"

O'Connell had slammed his fist on the table. "Of course I do. But him? He's a freakin' kid!"

Maluk had stuck out his tongue. "Know more than you do."

"Do not!" O'Connell had made as if to grab Maluk by the throat.

"O'Connell!" Garulus' deep voice had halted his lunge. "The boy knows at least four different ways to enter K'rier's... fortress, for lack of a better word, unseen. We are damn lucky he was 'allowed' to assist us. I had to put a great deal of pressure on his superior's. He can and he _will_ get you in, undetected."

"But what if we're out late? Won't he miss his naptime?" O'Connell had sneered.

Maluk had given him a mocking look. "Betta hope I don't lose you in the Telrian forest. Lot's a bad things in there."

O'Connell had snorted. "Whatever, kid. Your woods don't scare me."

"They should," Garulus had added, his tone soft, but intense. "If you separate from him while in the forest, you will die."

O'Connell had swallowed his retort and said nothing while the kid had done an exaggerated victory dance. He cringed at the memory.

It wasn't until they were almost at their drop off point that he remembered to contact Guun. He quickly outlined Ashe's predicament, their plan and gave Guun his 'no problems, no worries' speech.

Guun was less certain. "What makes you think the guy even has a back door? And why the hell did he take Ashe? What the hell have you been doing? Did you do something? Is this all your fraggin' fault?" O'Connell could hear his anger even through their static filled connection.

"It's _not_ my fault!" O'Connell insisted. "At least… I don't think it is."

"Oh great! Wonderful! I'm coming out there! You just get everyone into fraggin' trouble. Or fraggin' kidnapped. Or fraggin' _shot_!" Guun growled into the console. He ran his hands over the status relay, trying to get a fix on his friend's position.

"Thanks! Thanks so fraggin' much for your support in this crisis," O'Connell mocked his friend, slightly hurt at his implications. "Geez, Guun. When have I _ever_ gotten you killed?"

"Uh…" Guun snorted a response. "You want the list alphabetically or in order of severity? Grainis II, Romulia, Karnivia… oh hell Karnivia _again_! Oh, and let's not forget the Mildon screw up."

"Mildon? How the hell was that my fault?" O'Connell asked, insulted.

"Aahhh!" Guun almost screamed into the console. "You got Ashe trapped behind enemy lines and you left me in a holding cell in the Tulisian garrison, while you were off boffing that Tulisian Priestess!" Guun slammed his fists onto the console and immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry, baby. It's not your fault he's an idiot," he whispered lovingly to the ship's blinking lights.

"Oh… yeeaaahh… that." O'Connell cringed, the incident suddenly crystal clear in his memory. "In my defense… I did think she had important information."

"Oh yeah. And what... it was hidden in her hooha?" Guun's growl deepened, his concern for Ashe evident. "Seriously O'Connell, I'm going with you on this one. I won't let you screw this up. I really care about her. I don't want her dead."

O'Connell sighed. "I don't want her dead either, Guun." There was silence between them for a moment while his friend digested this admission. "But we're almost at our drop off. I have my 'snot nosed' kid guide and my back up. You need to finish up with the MorBui and have her ready to get the hell off this fraggin' planet as soon as I get her back," he sighed and then continued, his tone pleading, "Believe me, Guun. I'll get her out."

Guun rested his head in his hands, pushing back his large mop of orange hair, his face etched with worry. "All right, my friend. You just get her the hell back here. Ok? I'll try to keep track of you from here. Maybe see if I can locate her ship. See if it's sound."

O'Connell scoffed. "We won't need her ship, Guun. She'll be traveling with us again. I'm not letting her out of my sight! That damn wreck of hers can rot here for all I care."

Guun held back his scream, the thought of leaving a perfectly sound ship to be ravaged by scavengers too much to bear. "You're such a… a philistine, you know that?"

"All I'm saying is that ship doesn't…."

"Shut up. _Idiot_. Just shut… up!" Guun went to cancel their connection and then paused, hit with a sudden realization. "You didn't send the bolts, or the coffee or anything… did you?"

O'Connell paused, "Ah…. Well…"

Guun burst out laughing. "She sent them. Damn good girl." Guun grinned and then barked into the console, "Save her ass, O'Connell. Or I'll fraggin' kill you myself."

O'Connell started an angry response but Guun had already severed the connection. He glanced over to find Maluk eying him with a wicked grin.

"What?" he barked.

"People just love you, don't they?" the kid snorted and then returned his attention to the viewing portal.

O'Connell shoved his comlink back into the slot on his jacket sleeve.

"We are approaching the village of Malua," the shorter of his two companions said, his voice deep and calm. The taller one had not yet spoken. O'Connell found his silence a bit disturbing. "We will shuttle in one of their open bays and then make directly for the market."

"The market is where we'll get the Runners you talked about?"

The man nodded. "Runners are well equipped for the forest. Silent and swift, they will get us to our destination in no time."

O'Connell nodded. Now that was some equipment he could understand. Silence and speed. Some good steel under him and all would be well.

They docked without incident. For a small village their dockport was large enough for over a hundred transports. The bays were more than half full and O'Connell was surprised to find the familiar mixture of farmer, merchant and high end tech he had become accustomed to seeing in larger, more commercial planets. He watched the familiar exchange of pleasantries, bargaining and shouting. The smell of ship fuel, animal dung and human sweat filled the air. O'Connell felt strangely at home.

They stepped through the transport's deceptively mild security and into the market. It was twice as large again and filled with stalls, displays and the raucous cry of the hawker. O'Connell could feel the pulse of the place through the soles of his boots and he grinned. Whatever else K'rier might be, he sure as hell knew how to build commerce. 'And if this was one of his smaller villages?' O'Connell thought. Well, he was not surprised that the man's territory covered most of the damn planet.

"Come." The smaller man gestured. "We will wait for Nikal while he secures our transports." O'Connell followed the man through the crowd, keeping the boy in his peripheral vision. He lost the boy only once, for a moment, before they reached the village's entrance gate.

The short man spoke softly, "We will work our way out of the village with the crowds. Nikal will find us."

O'Connell grabbed Maluk by the arm. "Don't disappear."

Maluk tried to shrug off his hold. "Not gonna. Let go!" He yanked his arm hard and O'Connell released him.

"Don't push your luck, kid," O'Connell growled softly. He glanced up to see an older man grinning at him.

The man shook his head in sympathy. "Kids, right? I got three. Don't know what the hell I was thinking."

O'Connell's grin felt pained. "Yeah, right. Kids." He placed his hand behind Maluk's neck and forced the boy to move forward through the crowd, keeping the boy at his side while he tried to catch up to Garulus' men.

Maluk struggled against him, angry at the man for trying to control him. Then a wicked grin crossed his face and in a loud voice he complained, "But Papa, you're hurting me! I want a suga! You said I could have a suga! I'm thirsty! I want some water! Can't I have some water? I gotta to go to the bathroom!"

O'Connell cursed under his breath and Maluk squealed as his grip tightened. After that they were a silent pair as they worked their way through the village gates, mingling with the crowd. The buildings outside of the market were the color of dried mud. No more than the height of two men, they had few windows and smelled of earth. He moved swiftly past a religious zealot screeching about the end of the world, a half dozen men looking for a fight and a rundown brothel before he caught up with Garulus' men. The taller one gestured north and they silently followed him. Rounding the side of a building O'Connell was surprised to find they were entering a stable. 'What the hell transport is hidden in here?' he wondered.

It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust and then a few more for his brain to register that fact that their transports were not mechanical. Four large beasts stood before him. If he had had to describe them, he would have said they were gigantic lizards. Their skin was scaly and their tails were long and ended thin like a whip. Their legs were thick and powerful and came almost to O'Connell's shoulders; their coloring was a mottled brown and green. But it was their heads that were the most disconcerting. Their heads were large and almost triangular with enormous black eyes that appeared to take up most of the cranium. The way they were situated on the beast's head O'Connell imagined that the beasts could see everywhere at once, except perhaps behind them. And even that feat could be accomplished with the slightest flick of the head.

"That's what we're taking? That's a Runner?" O'Connell could sense the groaning in his voice.

Garulus' men nodded. Maluk grinned.

"Their speed in the dense growth of the Telrian forest is unmatched." The shorter man gave O'Connell a quizzical look. "You are not frightened of the beasts, are you?"

O'Connell's eye narrowed. Had it been another man, in another situation, he would already be dead. Instead O'Connell took a deep breath, steadying himself, and then calmly replied, "No. Just thought they'd look different is all."

Maluk snorted derisively.

The Runners already sported small saddles near the base of their necks. O'Connell watched the others mount and then did so as well. Once seated, he found the beast to be stable beneath him, like sitting on a rock. He was about to ask how he could steer his Runner as there were no reigns when the tall silent man nudged his beast toward the door and with a wave of his hand, they were off. One minute he was seated on the Runner in the stable and the next moment they shot out of the stable, out of the village and had crossed the league between the village and the forest. The trees and underbrush whipped around him like a curtain and in moments the village had disappeared. There was neither sight nor sound of the place, only the wind racing past his ears.

The trees passed in a blur of green and brown. He could sense a moment of sunlight, warmth and then it was gone. Leaning forward on the Runner he hoped the beast knew what he was doing. He could just make out the hind end of the Runner ahead of him, the shorter man leading the way. Glancing to his right he saw Maluk come abreast of him. Maluk sat upright on his mount, grinning like a Dungar, eating something.

Eating something? O'Connell glanced back. Oh yes, definitely eating something. Maluk took a big bite and held out his hand as if to offer O'Connell some. Then he pulled his hand away and grinned mockingly. He nudged his Runner and the beast shot forward, running in concert with the short man.

"Stupid kid," O'Connell growled into the wind. 'Where the hell'd he get something to eat?' O'Connell felt his own stomach grumble. Then, he couldn't help himself, he laughed. The sound was carried away by the wind so there was no chance the kid caught it. Taking a deep breath he steadied himself. Why was he laughing? Was he going crazy? No. It was just that… that kid…

'Reminds you of her,' the voice in his head laughed at his stupidity.

'Reminds me of her,' he echoed. 'Damn. Same arrogance, same skills, same cocky attitude.' His thoughts started to drift toward her. Up until now he could think only of getting to her. Now suddenly, his mind was filled with fears of what might be happening to her. Was she being raped? Tortured? Had she already been killed? _No_! He refused to believe that. She was too beautiful. K'rier would never kill her. Well, not right away. He would want her. Want to take her. She may already be wishing for death.

O'Connell leaned forward on his Runner, his grip knuckle white, his mind a maelstrom of images that made his blood run cold. 'Hang on, babe. I'm coming for you.' With the wind howling past his ears he did something he never thought he would do. He began to ask for help from whatever higher powers felt like listening. 'Keep her safe until I get there. I'll do the rest,' was the only thought in his mind as the Runners devoured the distance between them.

* * *

Miles away Guun tried varying his output, oscillating in minute degrees a series of codes that Ash had built into the communication system. He kept the distance tight, he knew Ashe's ship was somewhere within a twenty click radius and he didn't need to project his message into space. Just to the ship. If he got lucky, using one of Ashe's codes would cause the ship to respond. Well, not respond actually, more echo the code. Which, once he locked onto it, he could use to locate the vessel.

He stood and stretched; his head pounding. "Cup of java," he said, trying to calm his fraying nerves. Letting the communication system repeat the cycle of code, he worked his way to the galley. Coffee might be the only thing able to peel off a layer of stress. He'd love alcohol; however drinking while his friend's life was in danger was never his thing. Alcohol slowed your responses and Guun was a man of action.

'Not like O'Connell,' Guun snorted, as he waited for the coffee to brew. No one was quite as fond of action as O'Connell. Hit first. Shot first. Ask your question later. Maybe. If you felt like it.

Guun's laugh echoed in the empty galley. He grabbed his coffee and worked his way back to the communications console. Plopping his large form into the chair he leaned back and watched the lights blink, willing the array to display a response. Leaning forward he patted the console. "It's ok, darlin'. I know you're trying." O'Connell thought he was nuts the way he loved the ship. Mocked him constantly for it. Didn't matter. She was as real to him as any woman. Well, 'cept maybe Ashe.

Still, he could feel the ship's heart beat in the thrum of her engines. Could feel her pulse in the rush of electromagnetic energy. Saw her eyes sparkle in the million lights of her gauges. All she needed was a voice. Guun grunted. If she had a voice maybe she'd tell him to go take a fraggin' leap…

"Hello?"

Guun's mouth dropped open. His feet fell to the floor. The coffee sloshed out of his cup. His mind blanked out. He had just heard the single sexiest female voice he had ever heard. Who the hell was that?

He checked the vectors. Yup. One of Ashe's old codes. Crap. Who the hell was that?

"Hello? Is someone there?" the voice asked again, softly, magically.

Guun tried to find his voice. "Uh… hello," he responded. 'Oh great. Great response! Idiot!'

"Captain? Is that you?" the woman asked anxiously.

"Ah… yeah. No! No… not the captain. I think." Good grief! Form a coherent thought idiot! "Uh… who is this?"

"I am uncertain at this juncture if you are friend or foe," the woman paused, and then he heard a deep heartfelt sigh. "However my options are limited. You are using one of the Captain's codes. She has not returned or reported in and I cannot find her signal. I grow increasingly concerned and I hope with your use of her code that perhaps you may be an ally and have information on her whereabouts and condition. Thus I must… take a chance," another sigh that cut through Guun's heart like a knife, "on your motives and hope they are to inform me of my Captain."

"Yes! They are! I am!" Guun stared for a moment at the display, trying desperately to organize his thoughts. That voice was so, so… damn hypnotic! Good god who was this woman? Was she part of Ashe's crew? Did Ashe have a crew? What the hell was this woman doing on Ashe's ship? "I uhm… I have some bad news."

"Has the Captain ceased?" the woman tone was calm, but edged with sadness.

"NO! No… at least, I don't think so. But Ashe was kidnapped. I'm sorry. O'Connell is rescuing her as we speak so I wouldn't worry too much. She'll be fine." There was a moment of silence as he let her digest his information.

"Her chances of survival if O'Connell searches for her are... acceptable," she replied calmly.

"I'm Guun… by the way. Just… just so you know who you're talking to," Guun tried not to mumble.

"Hello Guun," she said his name with a caress that sent shivers down his spine. "I am V."

'V,' Gunn paused, a vague memory flickered through the opaqueness of his thoughts. "Do… do we know each other? Have we met?" He laughed at the thought. No man could meet the owner of that voice and not remember her.

"No, Chief Engineer Guun. We have not traveled together. However I am familiar with your background and skills, as well as the great affection my captain holds for you."

"Oh, Ashe… talked about me?" Guun hoped she had been kind, and not too honest.

"Yes. At length. My files on you are extensive, as well as those on Captain O'Connell."

"Oh. Ok." Guun felt a surge of jealousy rush through him, and then he paused, wondering what she meant.

"Now that you have updated me on my Captain's situation, I should return to my self-diagnostic and repair. If my Captain's situation should change, please notify me immediately." V's tone was at once clinical and sensual.

"Your self-diagnostic?" Guun tried to make sense of her remark. "Are you injured?

V sighed and the sound poured over him like warm sunshine. "During Captain O'Connell's pursuit I was forced to use speed excessive to my drive capabilities. This resulted in a cracked hydro seal and thus diminished hydrogen emulsification."

"You…" Guun slowed in confusion. "Your drive… capabilities?"

"Yes, Chief Engineer."

Guun's brow furrowed as his mind reeled. "You… you're not a woman? A human?"

Her tone was soft and intimate. "No, Chief Engineer. I am not. I am V. I am the captain's…" she paused and for a moment and he had the impression she did not want to say the word, "ship. Craft. Vessel."

Guun shot up from the chair, his mind reeling. Not a woman. Not a human! This was the ships AI? Good god he was having a conversation with her ship! And her ship was fraggin' hot!

"I would offer my assistance however I have sustained damage that I am unable to repair at this time." He heard that sigh again. The technology behind this, the exact mimicry of a human sigh. Unimaginable! "It is unacceptable to me that I cannot offer aid. However my options are again, limited. I cannot repair myself and I was ordered not to reveal myself to those who might affect repair. I cannot disobey a direct order."

Guun shook his head in wonder. He swore he could hear frustration in her voice. Then his sluggish mental synapses sparked. "I could do it! I could do the repairs!" he practically shouted.

There was a moment of silence. "Your qualifications, Chief Engineer are well documented," V purred. "My Captain has often commented on your skills. As we have already established communications I do not believe that this would be a direct violation of my Captain's orders." There was another short pause, and then she continued, her tone if Guun could believe his ears, excited. "I find your offer acceptable."

Guun's grin split his face in two. He could barely contain his own excitement. "Ok. Good! Great!" He began to search for his bag, making a mental list of what he would need to bring with him. Q bolts, fusion coupler, couple of wrenches, and the damn hydro seal! Ashe had already forwarded it to him! Good gods that girl was luckier than anyone he had ever known. Then he realized he still had no clue as to V's coordinates. "Listen, honey… not to be nosy, but where the hell are ya?"

"I will show you, Chief Engineer."

"Please, call me Guun." Her use of a title made him feel uncomfortable. His knees grew week as he swore he heard her giggle over the comlink.

She almost purred with delight when she said, "I will show you, Master Guun."

He gripped the back of the chair for support.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

Ashe groaned as the dim light began to pierce her consciousness. She raised her hand and covered her eyes, praying the throbbing in the back of her head would stop. It seemed to echo the beating of her heart, as if her entire body was against her. She tried moving a finger, letting in just the barest hint of light. Her brain screamed in protest.

"I will not pass out…' she thought as she slowly scanned her surroundings. Through the blurry haze of her pain wracked vision she saw what appeared to be red velvet curtains hanging to the right above her, a tall post by her feet. She reached out with her free hand, surprised to feel soft silken pillows next to her.

'Okay, okay' she mused, taking a deep breath. ' Soft pillows, silky material under me. Am I on a bed?.' She spread her fingers a little farther, letting in a little more light. 'All right then. Red velvet curtains hanging from large wooden posts, sumptuous pillows. Okay, I am on a really gorgeous bed.'

She glanced up and froze, just able to make out a blurry, vague figure hovering above her. 'What the hell is that? Is someone watching me?' She removed her hand, and squinted. It looked like a woman, but then her eyes were still trying to adjust to the light. She squinted again, forcing her brain to ignore the pain and focus on the image above her. Her sight quickly cleared and she gasped.

'_Oh my god!_' Ashe groaned and the image groaned with her. 'What the _hell_ am I wearing?' Above her the mirror reflected back her blonde hair, brown eyes and her body clad in an outfit she was sure came straight from the nearest brothel. The thinnest wisp of bronze silk stretched across her breasts, looking more like a second skin than covering. Around her hips were several long strips of the same bronze silk and very little else.

Her hand flew to her throat. "_Oh my god!"_ she murmured again as the light caught and reflected the chain of rubies around her neck, their glittering red fire mesmerizing. She noticed her ears held similar gems; in fact her body displayed little else. Her fingers traced a line from her breasts down her naked stomach to her belly button where another perfect round ruby nestled. 'I'm a fraggin' jewelry box!' she thought.

'Still,' she moved on the bed watching the rubies catch the light, 'I look damn good!'

Then her hand flew to her hip and she snarled. 'They took my fraggin' guns.' She glared at the mirror above her, anger clearing her mind. "It's one thing to shove me on this insanely soft bed, another to dress me up like some kind of working girl, and another to shove rubies in my belly button! But no one," she shook her fist at the mirror, "no one takes _my_ _guns_!"

She forced herself in to a sitting position, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her head swam and she thought she might vomit, so she focused on her side arms until the throbbing in her temple's lessened. Gently lowering herself to the floor, she glanced around the room for any clues as to the whereabouts of her favorite double-pulse lasers. The room was circular. The extremely large bed occupied the middle of the room, with pillows covering almost every square inch of floor space. The pillows looked extremely soft and welcoming and she contemplated falling down and just resting on some of them.

'Suck it up, sister!' she growled. Her mind played back for her the scene in the dungeon with… 'What was his name?' Oh yes… _Marcus_. She remembered that damn rod he had and his arrogance and how it felt when he had… well, better not to think about that.

But it was his question that had confused her. She remembered that now as she tried to steady herself. At first she thought he had just intended to use her body. But then he suggested they might work together… work on something… and she would tell him where _it_ was. What_ it_ was he talking about?

So it wasn't her he wanted, but her cooperation and the location of _it_, whatever that was. What the hell was _it_? And why did he think she had _it_? Or was_ it_ something he thought she could help him acquire or at least knew_ its_ location. 'Ahh,' she grumbled, her contemplation of _it_ not helping her throbbing head.

'Then why didn't he just ask me to dinner? Why kidnap me and torture me?' "Okay,' the voice in her head laughed. 'It wasn't exactly… torture.'

"Arggh!" she growled to the pillows.

Another glance around the room and she noted there were no other pieces of furniture. Not a cupboard or bureau to be found. Tapestries hung intermittently around the walls and she had to assume that the door lay behind one of these.

'Come on, Ashe,' she barked at herself, 'move your damn legs.' It required complete concentration to ignore the pounding in her head and force her lethargic limbs into action. With colossal effort she managed to move her legs forward without tripping over the pillows. She knew if she fell and landed on their softness she would be done for.

She reached the first tapestry in a few strides and clung to it. Glancing behind its bulk she was discouraged to find only wall.

'Damn it,' she growled again. Clinging to the tapestries for support, she moved along the wall, her head slowly clearing as she went. She made it half way around the room before finding the faint outline of an archway.

"There you are!" Ashe grinned. The outline was indistinct at best, with no handles or code pads, but that would not stop her. She laughed out loud and then grimaced as pain shot through the back of her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she ran her hands around the crack that defined the arch, feeling, sensing, daring the door to withhold information. There was always a flaw, always a way. Finding the flaw, using its weakness, that was what she did, what she had been bread to do, trained to do. And she was very, very good at what she did. Still by the time her hands had roamed three quarters of the way around the arch and found nothing she had begun to sweat.

'What if this is your _Murphy_?' the voice in her head asked. 'What if this your impenetrable lock?' She sighed as a rush of memories filled her thoughts. When she was young, she had spent years working the streets of Orania, running with Fargut's crew. There had been a boy, older than her, but not quite a man. His name was Conner Murphy. He was cocky and arrogant, just the way she liked her men. She and Murphy had run together. Worked the streets together. He was brilliant. There wasn't a lock or key code or palm encoder that could stop him. He had taught her everything and she in return she had worshiped him.

Then one day, they had stumbled upon a merchant. Not an ordinary merchant. No swipes, or pickngrabs, or counterfeights would work with him. No. This man had cargo. Large mild looking cargo that had locks they had never seen. She had learned early that it wasn't the flamboyance of the container that counted; it was the difficulty of the lock. The higher in value the contents, the more money spent on the lock.

She had been reluctant to test their skills on the crates. They had been stashed in the local merchant's guild, behind the local garrison. They would have to travel through the garrison, the merchant's guards and into their sanctuary unseen, then break the lock to the merchant's store house and _then_ finally attempt the lock on these crates.

It was against all common sense and judgment, however Murphy did not hold either in high regard. He had hatched his plan and included her. She couldn't say no, he was her god. They had snuck past the garrison, not the first time, so not that difficult. Past the merchant's guards, trickier but not impossible and then through the merchant's protective wards. She had procured the pass codes for those and had been extremely proud of herself. Then, as if the gods themselves wanted them to enter, Murphy had picked the lock on their impenetrable store house in seconds.

The crates were stored in the center of the store house, as if inviting challengers. Murphy was more excited than she had ever seen him. He had caressed the locks like a lover and after ordering her to stand watch, begun the process of evaluating the lock and its mechanism.

She had heard them coming with more than enough time to escape. She had given him plenty of notice. He had ignored her, his full attention on the lock. She had even run to him and shaken him, trying to pry his hands off the lock. But he had shoved her aside and continued with his work, his eyes bright with excitement and something else she had not quite understood.

She could almost hear his voice now, low and mocking, almost a little crazed. "Back off, Runt. Finally, an true challenge!'

At the time she almost hated him for his obsession, for putting himself at risk for one stupid lock. But remembering him now, she could understand his compulsion. He had been so gifted. So brilliant. Working the street as he did must have seemed beneath him. He must have known he was capable of so much more.

She wasn't proud of herself, but she had done what any self-respecting thief would have done. She hid.

And when the solders and the merchant came, they had hauled Murphy away. All he did was scream, "_No_! Not yet! I haven't finished! Let me _finish_!"

She'd never seen him again, though she had searched for him for months. No sigh, no word, it was as if he had fallen off the planet. She laughed to herself as her hands continued their search along the crack of the arch. The funny thing was, the legacy he left behind was not his brilliance, which in the archives of thieves should have been unrivaled, but it was the one lock that beat him. The lock that got away from him. The Unpickable Lock, was now known everywhere as Murphy's Lock. Even on planets that didn't know who the hell Murphy was. They still knew what the expression meant.

Ashe smiled. He would have liked that.

Her fingers moved against a roughened edge. The metal felt colder, a light familiar electromagnetic pulse tickling her fingertips.

"Gotcha!" Ashe grinned triumphantly. She went to work on the lock, locating the pressure panel, removing the protective skin and isolating the relay. "Damn I wish I had my clothes," she mumbled. Her suit not only provided coverage and protection, it also housed a myriad of hidden tools that she used to… facilitate entry into what others might refer to as restricted areas. Working with only her knowledge was making this task almost impossible. If only she had her bandwire or heatclips or refractor, then maybe she could get this damn thing open!

One last dig with her nail and the cover sprung free. She crouched lower to observe the mechanism within. Relays, power coupling… 'oh frag it!' she groaned. 'Laser connections. Damn.' She followed the power circuit again, knowing before she finished that she was sunk. If she had her clothes, if she had access to her silver slip or even a small mirror. Then she might have a chance at redirecting the circuit. But without those…

In her crouched position, the ruby in her belly button began to dig into her flesh. Cursing, she plucked it out and in frustration almost tossed it across the room. As she raised her arm to throw it, it somehow caught the light, and burned with a deep, red fire. She stared at it for a moment and then cursed herself.

'You idiot!' she growled. She gently separated the wiring from the laser relays in the panel, careful not to break their contact. Having freed enough space she took a deep breath and held it. Timing and placement was the key with lasers. If she flinched or hiccupped or hesitated, the mechanism would lock down and she would be trapped.

She thought of Murphy, pictured his curly black hair and wicked grin and then dropped the ruby between the connectors. The blue lights of the laser key refracted off the ruby, separating them from each other. The door popped open with a soft sigh.

'That's a good girl.' Ashe grinned at the door. She waited a moment, listening for any sign of approaching trouble. There was only a welcomed quiet. She pushed the door open just wide enough to slide through. 'Now I wonder where my pulsers are?' she thought as she stepped from the room into a long hallway that curved to the left and right, following the circular dimensions of the room. Small scones of light illuminated the hall a soft blue every three meters. Not only was the hall bare of any camouflage but the continuous lighting gave her little hope of hiding. Hugging the outline of the wall she worked her way left for a few meters until the hallway straightened.

The hallway was deserted, however she knew that didn't mean it was unobserved. 'Well suga, you've got one option.' She glanced down at the little bit of bronze nothing she was wearing. 'Act like you belong. They won't be looking at your face anyways. Hopefully, my friend Marcus likes to keep a lot of girls around to… play with.' She had a quick flashback to the man, his dark brown eyes, taut body and honey voice permanently imprinted on her brain in connection with that damn rod. "Stupid girl," she mentally chided herself.

She straightened her shoulders, adopted a slightly bored expression, and made her way slowly down the hall. There were no doors or windows on either side of the corridor, but even in the dim light she could make out another curve at the end. She mentally noted that she had been tortured, 'for want of a better word,' she mocked herself, in a round room, imprisoned in a round room, and seemed to be heading toward another round room. What was curious was so many of these 'towers' formed the exterior of Marcus' fortress and that it appeared he liked to keep his most precious things in them. 'And I bet,' she continued her hypothesis, 'that one of these towers holds his bedchamber as well. Might as well check there first for my stuff.'

He had appeared an arrogant, cocky man who was, quite probably, as brilliant as he thought he was. That kind of man, Ashley smirked, would be sure to keep her things close to him. It would be a way of reminding him of his power over her. How he had bested her, beaten her. And then, if he broke her, he would have them there in his bedchamber as a reward.

"Asshole," she mumbled, more to satisfy her own conflicted thoughts than anything else. She approached the end of the corridor and found two guards at full attention outside of what was obviously an archway. The arch was sealed, the door appearing to be part of the wall but for an almost imperceptible shimmer. Ashe groaned. 'Nano-tech.', she groaned. 'God I hate Nano-tech.'

As she rounded the corner she saw the guards, both male, arch their backs, throw back their shoulders. To give them credit their attention to the door opposite them did not falter, however they were men, and she was dressed in almost nothing.

Ashe decided to adopt a slightly bored, slightly helpless tone. She moved toward the nearest guard, getting as close to him as she dared without touching him. Actually touching might be crossing a line that Marcus' 'ladies' knew not to cross.

She nodded to the door. "Is he in?" Ashe held her breath waiting to see if the question raised any red flags.

The guard turned to her, his expression blank, when an enormous explosion shook the building. The guards' response was immediate; their expressions went from blank to dark concentration in an instant. Each man moved away from the door to cover a corridor. Ashe tried to look scared and confused, while working her way towards the chamber arch. If they were focused enough on the corridor, perhaps they wouldn't notice a frightened girl working the archway keypad.

The soft sound of crackling came from the guards helmets. Though she couldn't make out what was said their response was swift. The guard closest to her hit the key pad and the arch in front of her sparkled and then became transparent.

"Get in there. Stay quiet." The guard shoved her into the room. As that had been her objective anyway she didn't struggle much. The door sealed shut behind her with a soft whush.

The room before her was almost, if possible, softer and squishier than the room where she had awoke. There were golden reams of silk covering the ceiling and walls and floor. A large armoire sat against the wall on the far side of the room, but most of the rest of the room was taken up with the enormous bed to her left. 'Good god,' Ashe stared, amazed and thought, 'you could fit a small army on that bed.' She paused as she realized he probably had. Pulling her gaze from the massive bed, she turned to the armoire, certain that it was the best place to start looking for her things.

She worked her way across the room, the damned fluffy silks making it hard to move quickly. She wondered if that was intentional. 'Too many girls trying to escape Marcus?' The thought made her smile and she hoped some of them had given him a good kick in the groin.

The armoire appeared unlocked, but she knew that to be an illusion. Marcus would never leave a trophy unguarded. She ran her hands across the sides, the front closure and the hinges. She located the imperfections and then the locks. It took her only a moment to ease the casing off the locks. Her heart raced at the simplicity of their construction. Tearing strips off her almost non-existent clothing she folded them carefully and placed them in front of the laser eye. The cloth was thin enough to allow a small amount of refraction and she smiled when she heard the soft sound of a latch release.

"Gotcha," she murmured softly. The door swung open soundlessly. The armoire was filled with silks, shirts and pants a dinner jacket or two, drawers of silken undergarments. 'Hmm,' she thought, 'didn't think he bothered with those.' She grabbed the hanging clothes and threw them recklessly onto the floor. The shoes followed. Her fingers flowed across the woodwork, scanning for imperfections, bumps, hidden latches. Next she emptied the drawers, silken boxers flying across the room. The hidden bottom was in the last draw. She worked the hinge and the base flew up.

"_Yes_!" she hissed aloud. There lay her clothes, neatly folded with her lasers sitting right on top. 'Thank god arrogant men are so predictable!' she rejoiced. Yanking the remaining jewelry off, she pulled the clothes from their hiding place. She had her straps of silk off in an instant and was stepping into her pants when she heard the archway behind her open with a woosh.

'Idiot! Idiot!' she cursed herself, then her gaze dropped to the double-pulse lasers and she grinned. 'Might as well use what the gods gave me.' With her back to the door, she bent over, and with a slight wiggle of her bottom, she grabbed her lasers and in one graceful motion turned her naked body toward the intruder, both lasers at the ready.

The sight of O'Connell and Maluk staring wide-eyed at her was not what she expected. "Good god, O'Connell, I almost shot you!" she said with disgust.

O'Connell and Maluk didn't move. They stood there, mouths open, eyes transfixed.

"What the hell is your…" then it dawned on her that she was completely naked. "Oh my god!" she cried in disgust, "Turn around!"

O'Connell's hand shot out and covered Maluk's eyes.

"_Hey_!" Maluk cried out.

"Shut up, kid. Don't ruin it for us both." Maluk yanked furiously at his hand so O'Connell pulled the kid towards him, tightening his grip even firmer.

"_Bloody arse_!" Maluk howled. "You stop looking at 'er!"

"Turn around, O'Connell," she said softly, keeping her guns pointed at him.

He just grinned at her.

"Turn around or I swear I will shoot you," she growled.

O'Connell shrugged. "Shoot me. It'll be worth it." Then he grinned, that grin he had, that grin that turned her knees to jelly.

"Fine." She chose disgust to cover how her heart did flips when he smiled like that. She turned her back on him and quickly threw on her clothes, their familiar feeling comforting. As soon as the blasters were strapped to her thighs she began to feel in control of her emotions again.

Ashe turned to him, her expression blank. "I assume that explosion was you?"

O'Connell released the still struggling Maluk and pushed him away. Maluk stumbled and gave him a venomous look. "Maybe,' he shrugged, "maybe it was Daddy's boys."

"Daddy's boys?" Ashe grabbed the rubies and shoved them into a pocket on her pant leg. 'Might as well take some compensation for the way I was treated. Being tortured and all.' 'Yeah tortured…' the voice is her head replied sarcastically. She ignored it and worked her way to the arch, her lasers ready.

"Hmmm… long story. Will fill you in as we go." O'Connell took the other side of the arch, and he glanced at her, the familiarity of their actions, their positions filling him with a rush of affection he couldn't shake. This was what they did; this was what made them a perfect team. They finished each other's sentences, worked together like a hand in a glove. They fit.

"It screams you," she laughed softly. "Bull in a china shop." The looked she gave him was intimate and unreserved and for a moment they were both back before the theft, before she ran off.

"Thanks," he grinned, then reminded himself he was supposed to be furious with her. He tried to appear cold and focused on the task at hand. "Let's get the hell out of here," he grunted. She nodded.

"Maluk,' she turned to the boy. "Which way, hon?"

"Follow me!" Maluk declared and then led them through the arch.

Maluk moved through the fortress like it was his home. What guards they crossed lay on the ground and Ashe could only assume that was O'Connell's handiwork.

"Came this way, did you?" She grinned at him.

"Well you know me, always like to make an impression," he replied, pleased with his own handiwork.

"So," she murmured as they worked their way along the second corridor. "Daddy's boys?"

She could see O'Connell hesitate before he replied. "A new friend and her dad… uhm… gave us a hand. It seems your friend," he said the word sarcastically, "has made some powerful enemies."

She read between the lines, it wasn't hard where O'Connell was concerned. "My friend?" There was ice in her tone.

O'Connell shrugged; when he spoke his tone was filled with accusation and anger. "You certainly were wearing an awful lot of nothin' to not be 'friendly'. How close did you two become in one day?"

Ashe could feel her temper rise. "Are you fraggin' serious? He kept asking about _you_. What the hell did you do that got me kidnapped and tortured?" she spoke softly but her voice held a steely edge that made him wince.

"I didn't do anything," he growled in response. 'Ok,' he thought, 'that was a lie.' He tried to ignore his guilt.

"Why," he paused, "what did he ask?"

"Apologize." She glared with one eye, while keeping the other on Maluk.

O'Connell motioned as if to refuse, but his heart wasn't in it. He still felt sick when he thought about what she may have endured over the past few hours because of him. "Sorry, Ashe."

"For what?" she continued.

He rolled his eyes and glared at her. "What the hell do you think? For getting you kidnapped!" his hissed responses were growing louder.

She shook her head. "That's not what I want an apology for." She paused a moment, then whispered, "You implied… you just suggested I _liked_ what he did to me! Do you honestly think I asked to… to be kidnapped? That I wanted to be knocked out and stripped naked and… and… Gods! O'Connell… you of all people…" her anger grew and her voice shook.

He stopped short, glaring at the floor, the walls, the ceiling. Looking at anything but her. "I didn't mean that. I was just… just…"

"What?" she hissed.

O'Connell turned to her, angry now. "I was fraggin' worried, alright? Good god, Ashe, I didn't know if he was going to torture you or rape you or kill you! I've been out of my mind! Then I see you, standing there, perfectly fine and naked and well… I felt…"

Ashe let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding in and let a small smile play with her lips. "You… _felt_?"

O'Connell growled in disgust, then grabbed her by her leather jacket and pulled her to him. He kissed her passionately, his mouth drinking in hers, tasting her, draining her and filling her with nothing but the taste of him.

When he pulled away he cupped her face in his hand. "Good god, Ashe," and she could just make out a slight tremble in his voice, "I thought I had lost you." He paused, his eyes drinking in the site of her, "I'm still fraggin' angry, Ashe, but I'm going to wait until later to get explanations. Right now, I'm just glad you're not dead."

Ashe smiled, the warmth of him enhancing her joy at being alive. "Me too."

Maluk's hiss came between them. "Can we get outa' 'ere now?"

O'Connell growled at the boy, but she smiled at him. "Shall we?" She winked at O'Connell, the joy at being with him filling her with a rush of confidence.

O'Connell grinned back. "What the hell. Don't like the food here anyway."

Ashe laughed, her heart soaring, as they headed down the corridor.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Another explosion rocked the floor and walls, Maluk ignored the sounds leading them through the maze of stairs and rooms flawlessly. Wherever 'Daddy's boys' were, Maluk was using their distractions to his advantage. They had so far passed nothing but unconscious guards.

When Maluk suddenly pressed himself up against the corridor wall, Ashe and O'Connell were quick to follow suit.

"What's up, kid?" O'Connell whispered.

"I hear voices up ahead. It's the servants dinin' hall. Betcha it's the cook, the steward, and maybe a guard." Maluk grinned at O'Connell. "Ya' know, the guys that don't get paid 'nough to get shot 'at."

"Love those kind." O'Connell returned his grin.

"Shall we say hello?" Ashe offered.

"Hell yeah. Don't want to be rude."

"Since when?" Ashe murmured with a chuckle.

"What?"

"Nothing," she grinned. Working her way toward the room she risked a quick glance into the chamber. The room was round once again; a long table filled the middle of the room, bracketed by chairs on each side. To the west was a large fireplace, dark meat turned on a spit over the open flame. To the east, cupboards lined the round wall filled with dishware, glassware and the occasional large bowl. Near the fireplace sat four men. One wore a dirty apron and a rather large white hat, a dusting of flour covered his arms. Another rather distinguished looking man swirled dark red wine in a glass, then sipped its contents his expression thoughtful. The other two were dressed in what Ashe now recognized as Marcus' standard guard apparel. Though their suits were the same, their attitudes were far less intimidating than the pair she had encountered outside of Marcus' room.

She turned back toward the boys and whispered, "I think we can…"

O'Connell stepped in front of her and into the room, his M-9 pointed directly at the group. "Hello, ladies. Shall we dance?"

Ashe rolled her eyes. "Or we can just do that," she grumbled, following him into the room, her lasers ready.

The two guards screeched like little girls. Then they jumped to their feet, reaching for their guns. When it dawned on them that they had no guns, they slowly raised their hands over their heads in surrender, their expressions sheepish.

O'Connell sighed, shaking his head. Neither guard appeared to be much older than Maluk. No wonder they were hiding in the kitchen.

The cook watched the guards' quick surrender and groaned. "Where the hell are your guns, you fools?" They switched their attention from O'Connell, to the cook and then to each other. They both shrugged.

"I'm not…"

"I don't remember what…"

"Good lord, how the hell did you get this job?" the cook bellowed and then grabbed the bottle of wine from in front of the steward and took a long haul straight from the bottle.

"Oh that's just wrong," the steward snarled.

Another explosion rocked the building and Ashe gestured toward Maluk. "Which way now?"

Maluk headed toward the eastern wall. When he reached the cupboard door closest to the north exit, he yanked open the door and began pulling the dishes off of the shelves, tossing the crockery onto the floor.

"Hey! Cut that out, kid!" The cook jumped to his feet, only to find O'Connell's M-9 in his face. He slowly sank back into his chair.

The steward snickered.

The cook turned on him, his eyes angry slits in his face. "Disdain? Seriously? How will you like if it they have to smash their way through your cellar? Maybe tear down your display of Bluegrape, eh? How'd that feel?"

"They wouldn't…" the steward gasped and went pale, the concept to horrible to contemplate.

"Found it!" Maluk's cry was triumphant. Ashe moved to his side, her lasers still aimed at the guards.

She glanced inside the cupboard to find a gaping whole. The back casing had swung forward at Maluk's touch to reveal a long dark tunnel.

"Well done!" She praised the boy. He stuck out his chest, his pride evident.

"What the hell?" O'Connell had joined them. He glanced into the dark tunnel. "I'm not going in there! Why can't we just go out the way we came in?"

Maluk sneered. "Because it's a bat'le zone by now! In case you 'adnt noticed the Altro is bombin' the crap outta this place."

The floor shook beneath their feet and O'Connell found he could not fault the kid's logic. "What about them?" He jerked his head in the guards' direction.

Ashe shrugged. "We might as well leave them. They're hardly a threat."

O'Connell looked as if to disagree when one of the guards spoke.

"Can I come with you?"

The question took them by surprise.

"Yeah, me too!" The other guard chimed in.

"What?" O'Connell asked, confused.

"Well…" the guard's looks were beseeching, "if we stay here, and Master K'rier finds out about…" he gestured toward the table where they sat and motioned to their lack of guns. "Well… he'll kill us for sure."

The other guard nodded ferociously. "Yeah and not in a good way either!"

O'Connell paused, trying to make sense of that last remark.

Ashe sighed. This seemed like a ridiculous idea, even to her. But she couldn't shoot two unarmed men. Of course, O'Connell could. She glanced at him, but thought better of it. Besides, maybe two extra bodies might come in handy_. 'Say we meet something nasty we need to feed along the way,'_ the voice in her head said cheekily_. 'Eww,'_ she thought and then added, _'Good point though!'_

"We need to move. You can follow, but you will have to defend yourself if there is trouble." O'Connell started to growl and she shushed him. "If _you_ are any trouble, boys, I will shoot you both. And I won't be a nice as Master K'rier," her voice was soft but steely as she lowered the aim of her lasers to their crotches.

They both nodded vigorously. "Yes, ma'am," they mumbled, suddenly uncertain of their choice.

Maluk moved forward into the tunnel, Ashe followed, then O'Connell and the two guards. The cook and steward waved to them as they left. Ashe could hear them arguing over the next bottle of wine to open as they worked their way down the tunnel.

"It's you. It's like a new hobby of yours," O'Connell was mumbling under his breath.

"What are you talking about?" Ashe asked, moving swiftly in the tunnel's darkness, Maluk even quicker in the lead. The tunnel floor was stone and dirt, level only for a few feet before it began to climb.

"You!" O'Connell growled as he tripped on an unseen obstacle. "You and your damn need to pick up strays! First the kid, now these guys. Seriously, Ashe, we gotta talk about this need you have to _save_ people!"

Ashe snorted in response. "I don't have a need to save people. People just keep… showing up!"

"Ha!" O'Connell grumbled "You're like a magnet for people who are disasters. You can't help yourself."

"Besides, you're wrong," Ashe said, grinning in the darkness.

O'Connell snorted, he wasn't wrong, she was in denial.

"Maluk wasn't the first."

"What do you mean?"

"You were," she said, not bothering to contain her laughter.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." O'Connell said sarcastically, and then fell into a sullen silence.

"We're 'ere." Maluk raised a hand and they came to an abrupt stop. "'Old on. Let me find the…" there was a soft click as the door's latch gave way. Ashe stepped forward, pushing the door open an inch or so, getting an idea of what lay outside.

Trees, rocks and a thick growth of ferns surround them. She could hear the sounds of battle in the distance, but nothing moved in her line of site.

She gestured to O'Connell. He stepped forward and together they pushed open the door, blasters at the ready. Nothing moved.

They stepped cautiously out of the tunnel and into the mottled daylight. Enormous trees surrounded them. She could hear the cries of birds and the sound of the wind. Ashe was startled to find that the 'door' they had exited was actually the side of what look like a boulder, jutting from the forest floor. Once they were out and the door closed, she would never have guessed the tunnel was there. It looked like any ordinary boulder.

The sound of battle cut threw her continued admiration of Marcus' technology. She glanced at O'Connell watching him orient on the sound. His eyes met hers and he shrugged, grinned and then motioned for her to go first. Maluk however had already raced ahead.

"Damn kid," O'Connell mumbled.

Ashe moved silently after the boy, concentrating on finding and following the trail he left.

"Oy," one of the guards hissed behind them, "I take it that after 'avin' just escaped from Master K'rier, we're now, uhm… headin' right back?" He gestured in the direction of the increasingly louder explosions, his tone begging her to deny it.

"Yup," O'Connell replied, the forest growth crunching under his step.

"Uh… why?" The other guard chimed in. They lumbered noisily after Ashe, moving silently obviously not an option for them.

Ashe paused a moment, turning to them, her lasers pointed in their direction. "Listen you two. Stay with us. Head out on your own. Your choice. Don't care. Stop whining or I'll shoot you."

"Yes, m'am." They snapped to attention. "We'll... stay with you, m'am." The taller guard appeared to decide for them both. "See, I'm city-born, m'am. Lived in Gerra all ma' life. I ain't neva' been in the forest 'er. And… well… they say the forest round 'er can kill ya!" The other guard nodded profusely.

"It's true," O'Connell chimed in. When she gave him a withering look, he added awkwardly, "Well _Maluk_ said it!"

Ashe shook her head in disbelief. "Fine. Follow. But stay down. Remember, you don't have any weapons!" She glanced ahead, orienting on Maluk's path. Without another word she raced after the boy, O'Connell close on her heals.

As they moved, the forest floor surrounding them began to change. Where once there were leaves, branches, ankle high new growth, suddenly they were surrounded by dark green grass, taller than their shoulders. Trees still surrounded them; however they towered well past visual range now. What seemed odd were the trees no longer had branches and instead of coarse bark they had a dark green fibrous skin.

Ashe frowned as tracing Maluk's path became increasingly more difficult. The path itself was troubling. The boy moved in a zig zag pattern that concerned her. He was avoiding something. Something he couldn't quite place.

She paused for a moment, trying to block out the sounds of battle so she could hear what Maluk was hearing. All she could sense was a soft breeze and the creak of the tree trunks as they swayed in the wind. Somehow, something wasn't right. Something was missing… but what? With a shrug she gave up. Whatever was spooking the boy, he was aware of it on a level that she could not sense.

O'Connell stood beside her, watching her. He knew that look. Something was going on. Something he was not going to like and would probably have to shoot. The Altro's word came back to him_…"If you separate from him while in the forest, you will die." _He glanced at the forest around them, and thought _'Where the hell is the kid?'_

She picked up his trail again, moving cautiously. O'Connell followed. He hated not knowing what the hell might be stalking them, it made his skin itch. They broke through the heavier underbrush and were relieved at the site of Maluk, perched on the top of a large boulder. His frenzied gestures stopped them in their tracks.

"_Run!"_ he cried, his tone frantic.

Without hesitation they took off as one, crossing the distance to him in a flash.

"What the hell is going on?" O'Connell crouched next to him. Ashe had her blasters trained on the forest behind them.

Maluk glanced nervously at the dense forest growth they had just left, then upward to the tree tops. "They're hungry," he whimpered.

On cue the terrified scream reached them and they froze. Ashe glanced around her as if she had misplaced something. "Oh crap! The guards!" She turned pale, the memory of her joke about using them as dinner making her cringe. Without thinking it through she jumped from the boulder and raced back the way they had come.

"_No!"_ O'Connell screamed. "You are _not_ going… _Ashe_…_come back here damn it!_" He hesitated only a moment, she had already crossed the distance to the tall grass. If he hesitated any longer he would lose her. He leaped from the boulder, racing after her, growling to himself that his partner was insane.

He caught up with her just a few paces back into the damn grass, he was about to grab her and carry her forcibly back to the boulder when something in her stance made him stop. Gripping his M-9, he held his breath, watching her. It was like watching a cat stalk its prey. She moved slowly, carefully. Each step delicate and thoughtful. Her gaze swung left, then right, her eyes barely rising above the top of the thick grass. He knew she sensed something now and she couldn't place it. That knowledge made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

What he lost in the sounds of battle and wind around him, she did not. Her head jerked toward the sky and she yelled, _"Move!"_

He rolled to the right, just as a large green rope hit the forest floor next to him and bounced back up into the tree tops_. 'Green rope?'_ he thought_. 'What the hell?'_ Then he saw her dash right and he watched as the rope once again slashed the ground where she had just stood, missing its mark. _'Not rope,'_ he thought amazed, _'vine.'_ He was about to shout his discovery to her when the ground behind him shook.

"Oh crap," he groaned, then his feet were jerked out from under him as he was yanked into the air. He could see Ashe's shocked expression as he flew upward. He could just make out her scream before she was only a dot on the forest floor.

Hanging upside down and racing skyward, he began to turn his attention toward the vine that was wrapped tightly about his feet. His instinct screamed at him to shoot the damn thing and he was about to do just that when he froze, startled by the sight of a large gaping maw looming toward him.

The mouth looked something like a giant pea pod, flapping frantically open and close and was large enough to hold three grown men. The interior of the thing undulated, rippling grotesquely and it held dark red globs of goo that glistened in the sun. O'Connell hoped fervently that the globs were not the remains of a guard.

The giant tentacle vines hanging from its sides undulated excitedly as O'Connell was pulled toward the glistening mouth. As the maw danced eagerly it dawned on O'Connell that the plant was _excited_ it had caught its next meal. As the vine was aggressively carrying him by his feet toward the snapping pea jaws O'Connell decided to do what he did best. Without giving much thought to the consequences, he aimed his M-9 and shot. The bolt hit the mouth dead center. The pod let out what O'Connell could only describe as a scream, shook violently and then stopped moving, only a gush of steam oozing from its maw.

O'Connell gave himself a second to gloat before he realized he was falling quite rapidly toward the forest floor.

"Fraggin' crap!" he growled. He twisted in the air, hoping to wrap his arms around the tree trunk, maybe slow his decent when another vine smacked him in the face. He instinctively grabbed hold, letting it pull him skyward. This time when he reached the top, he grabbed hold of the base of the dark vine a foot from this tree's hungry mouth. He reached over his head and without looking shot into the dark red opening, listening to its scream with satisfaction. As steam gushed from the thing, hissing its last breath, he felt the vine he held go limp. He gripped the dead vine tightly, not wanting to repeat his previous plummet.

The rope around his feet pinched, so he aimed the M-9 to the side of his right foot and shot off the dead restraint. With his feet free he shimmed up the dead vine and climbed onto the now still pod. The exterior of the pod was thick and hard enough to support his weight without giving. He stood atop the pod, gazing around him. At this height he was higher than anything for miles around. The forest stretched before him for leagues in all directions, a never ending sea of green. He had to admit, even though he hated the damn place, the view was impressive. A cloud of smoke billowed to the west, reminding him that the battle still raged at K'rier's.

He moved to the pod's edge, to glance toward the ground and then thought better of it. There was no sign of Ashe in the trees, and he hoped that meant she was still avoiding their grasp. Meanwhile if he didn't find the guards she wouldn't leave, so he focused on the task at hand. Life was more manageable he found, if you simply focused on the task at hand.

He glanced at the pods surrounding him. He wasn't sure if their aggravated snapping was due to him, or the vibrations of the battle in the distance. Either way he had no idea how to locate the guards, or get down from his perch.

Movement to his right caught his attention and he was surprised to see the top of a guard's head. He wasn't sure which guard it was, as the man was wrapped from head to toe in vine. He wriggled against the restraints, reminding O'Connell of a bug. He gauge the distance between himself and the struggling guard. Five spans away at least. Too far to jump from where he stood.

O'Connell assessed the pods around him and the quickest route to the guard. He shot the pod nearest him and grinned as it screamed, hissed and died. Leaping to the now dead pod he continued forward, shooting the pods as he went, waiting for them to hiss and grow silent and then moving to the next.

"Hang on, kiddo! I'm coming as fast as I can!" O'Connell tried to sound encouraging, as he worked his way toward the guard. When he reached the pod nearest and directly in front of the guard he paused.

He took a moment to sum up the guard's predicament. The kid was still wrapped up tightly, the top of his head the only part of him not covered in vine. In addition it appeared that his feet were stuck, solidly planted in the throat of the damn thing. O'Connell hoped that would work in their favor.

"Ok. Here's what's going to happen, kid," O'Connell called out, realizing with a start that he didn't even know the guard's name. At the moment it probably didn't matter much to either of them. He waited for the bug-like man to stop squirming and listen. "I'm going to shoot the damn thing. However, this may cause it to drop you." The bug-man started squirming more rapidly in obvious protest. "But…" he shouted, waiting for the guard to stop and listen again. "I can get your hands free and kill the fraggin' thing if you will stop moving. Just be ready to grab something if you start to fall. It's a long way down."

The guard went completely still, whether in fear or acknowledgement O'Connell couldn't tell. Either way it made his job easier. "On my three. One, two, three!" O'Connell's shot skimmed off the top of the vine that held the guard and before it had a chance to growl in protest the blast hit the pod dead center. Its scream echoed over the trees tops and the hiss of steam filled the air, obscuring his view of the guard.

"Kid? You ok?" O'Connell hoped the kid hadn't fallen. However he hadn't heard a human scream, so he hoped that was a good sign.

A gust of wind swept away the steam and O'Connell could see the guard, hanging upside down, his feet firmly stuck in the pod's throat, his arms hanging over his head, his expression stunned. O'Connell grinned. "Hey! You didn't fall. Good job."

The guard tried to swallow. "Tha…than… thanks."

Glancing around O'Connell found a dead tentacle still attached to the pod he balanced on. "Kid, I'm gonna toss you this vine, ok? You're going to grab it and then climb your ass down the vine to the ground. Got it?"

The guard gave the smallest of nods. "Sur… sure," he added bravely. O'Connell grabbed the vine and pulled a large part of it toward him. It wasn't thick, but it was strong and by sheer volume it was heavy. He grabbed enough length to be able to reach the guard and tossed it to him. His first throw hit the boy in the face. The kid howled in pain.

"Sorry!" O'Connell tried not to laugh. "Be ready!" His throw this time was slightly to the boy's left, but motivated by either pain or embarrassment the kid grabbed hold and held on tightly.

"Got it!" the guard shouted excitedly. He squirmed trying to wrench his feet free from the pod's grip. It took a moment and then his feet came free with a loud pop. The guard held on tightly as gravity kicked in and his feet dropped swiftly toward the ground. He stared at his naked feet now dangling under him as he swung on the vine. He glanced back at his boots sticking out of the pod.

"They probably saved your life, kid." O'Connell laughed. "Don't think the thing liked the taste of your size tens."

The kid blanched and then focused on the climb down. "Hey," he paused, his voice shaky but growing more confident. "Did you find Jerry?"

O'Connell sighed. He had forgotten for a moment there were two. "Not yet."

"He got taken first." The kid stopped for a moment, clearing his throat. O'Connell cut the kid some slack and put it down to the steam. "He… got grabbed closer to you. I thought we'd made it to you guys. But then he got grabbed, and I… I ran. But I'm an idiot and I ran deeper into the woods." The kid closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them his gaze held an edge to it that O'Connell understood. _'Good kid,'_ he thought. He'd seen that moment too many times on his men. The fight or flight. The kid chose fight. Good man.

"What can I do?"

O'Connell knew, no matter how determined the boy was, he'd work better alone. He decided to redirect the kid. "Get down. Find Ashe. Tell her that I'm okay and still looking for your friend. Tell her to head west. I will do my best to kill off the pods in that direction."

The boy nodded; brave as he was he was glad to have a mission that involved being on the ground. "Yes sir." He began to climb down and then called back, "Good luck, sir!"

O'Connell chuckled to himself. Been a long time since anyone had called him, _sir_. He redirected his attention toward the pods located to the west. Three of them he had already killed, but there were many more. He began to work his way across the canopy, killing the snapping pods as he went. The sound of his blaster echoing over the tree tops.

He had almost reached the edge of the wood before he saw the boy. Unfortunately for the kid, three different pods were fighting over him. One had tentacles wrapped around both arms, while the other two each had ahold of a leg. In addition the boy appeared to be unconscious.

"Great…" O'Connell sighed. Tactically he tried to imagine shooting the boy free. Even if he were able to find a spot where he could get three perfect shots off in quick succession, he didn't know if the pods were quick enough to tear the boy apart in between. Add to that the boy's lack of movement, well, there wasn't much chance the kid was going to be helpful.

He was pondering his next move when the pod next to him began to shake, its jaws snapping. He and the boy were out of reach of its tentacles, but still he readied his M-9, not quite sure what to expect. The site of Ashe breaking through the tree tops, riding the vine like a lift was not what he expected. As she drew abreast of the pod she shot into the thing's mouth, its death screech now familiar to O'Connell. Ashe's momentum carried her over the top of the pod, and she adjusted the angle of her descent and landed squarely on its now dead shell. She turned to O'Connell and grinned.

"Hey!"

O'Connell shook his head, keeping his admiration for her off his face, showing only resignation. "Cute," was his only comment.

"What? I thought you could use my help." She turned and assessed the situation. "And I guess I was right."

O'Connell shrugged. "Want the feet or the arms?"

"Arms." She counted out the pods surrounding them. "Four to silence first. I'll work my way over from the right."

"I'll go left." They worked their way around the pods that held the boy, silencing them. It occurred to him that their destruction of the other pods might anger the ones that held the kid; however they appeared unaware of their destruction. He waited near the pod that held the boy's arms, for Ashe to finish off the pods near the ones that held his feet.

She positioned herself so she had a clear shot at the gapping mouth that held the boy's arms. "They may drop him."

O'Connell nodded. "Yup." He glanced around, hoping for inspiration. The sight of a dead vine dangling over the edge of the pod where he stood gave him an idea. He pulled the vine towards him, counting out the lengths and then tied it around his waist, the additional length curled at his feet on the pod.

Ashe watched him for a minute, curious and then understanding dawned. "That's going to be tricky, you know."

O'Connell shrugged. "Yup."

She sighed. He liked tricky. In fact, he liked tricky far too much for her sanity.

"Ready?" O'Connell winked at her, his pulse quickening at the risk, but the rest of his attention on the distance between him and the kid.

"Always," was her response. She focused on her shot, ignoring him.

"On my three, babe. One, two, three!" His two shots cut through the air, the acrid smell of fried plant filling the air. The two pods holding the boy's feet perished in a gust of steam. She almost couldn't hear their screams she was so focused on watching O'Connell leap off the pod toward the unconscious boy. She noticed abstractly that the vines holding the boy's feet gave way. Almost in slow motion she watched O'Connell sail across the distance toward the boy. Her shot rang out the moment he reached the kid, wrapping his arms and legs around the unconscious boy. She hit the maw dead center.

The pod shook violently, its screams wrenching the air. One of the vines gave way and the kid's arm dropped to his side, smacking O'Connell in the face in the process. He grunted and then sighed, "Pay back's a bitch I guess."

Ashe's heart caught in her throat for a moment, but the second arm held. O'Connell would have clung onto the boy, even if they had plummeted for a while. But when the vine wrapped around his chest ended, the sudden stop might have caused it to crush his rib cage. She didn't want to contemplate that. Instead she worked her way to the pod where they hung. She grabbed another dead vine and threw it over the side, in O'Connell's direction. Jumping to the pod adjacent, she called to him, "How's it going?"

O'Connell grunted. He had transferred his body mass to the vine that held him, but he still had to hold onto the boy and wrap Ashe's vine around the unconscious kid. Conversation would have to wait. The kid's color was pale, but good and he could just detect the rise and fall of his chest. _'Always a good sign,'_ O'Connell thought. "Just keep breathing, kid," he murmured, trying to be encouraging. He would hate going to all this trouble for a corpse.

Grabbing the vine Ashe had thrown him; he looped the extra rope around his shoulder and climbed to the pod. Crawling onto the pod he lay there a moment, winded. Ashe stood over him and sighed. "Kinda outta shape, old man," she said, grinning wickedly.

O'Connell nodded. "Too much of Guun's cooking." He rolled over onto his belly and pushed himself up. "K. I'll lower him down. Can you climb down a vine and keep an eye on him? I'll follow." He looked west. "I think we've killed them all up to the edge, but be careful."

"Yes sir." Ashe saluted him and then climbed down a vine. She stopped within reach of the vine wrapped around the boy's arm. "Going to shoot the last support. Ready?"

"Have at it!" O'Connell yelled.

Her shot severed the vine and the boy dropped a few feet. The rope O'Connell had tied under the kid's arms caused him to stop suddenly. She heard O'Connell's grunt.

"Ok… gonna start lowering."

She shimmied down the vine, following the boy as O'Connell lowered him to the ground. Her thoughts as she went dwelled on O'Connell. His plans were always a mess, always risky. Yet somehow he always made them work. He was either the luckiest man she had ever known or… well, actually that had to be it. Nothing else really fit. He was just fraggin' lucky.

As O'Connell slowly lowered the boy toward the ground he thought_, 'How do I get into these situations? Oh yeah. I know. She gets me into these situations! I swear that girl has the worst luck of anyone I have ever known!'_

When the boy finally made it to the ground and the vine went slack, O'Connell worked his way across the dead pods to the edge of the forest. He found a vine there and climbed down to the forest floor.

It only took a moment for him to find the others. The two guards were on top of the large boulder they had left Maluk on. The younger one now stood guard over his unconscious friend. He could see Ashe and Maluk crouched further ahead by a large gnarled tree. The forest itself ended only a few feet in front of him, there was maybe 100 feet of open meadow and then the earth dropped away. The distinct sounds of battle came echoing over the open gap. By the earsplitting intensity of it O'Connell knew they were almost on top of the fray.

"The runner's willl be where we left 'em." Maluk had to practically yell as he gestured to their right. "The climb ain't that bad. But it might take us a bit." Another explosion made the ground at their feet shake. Maluk turned a pale white.

Ashe's heart melted at his obvious fear. She leaned in. "You're doing great, mister. Sorry I brought you into this." She reached out to brush back his hair when he lunged at her, wrapping his arms around her and pressing his face against her chest, clinging even harder as another explosion rocked the air around them.

She held on to him, surprised at his need for comfort. But then, she wondered, how many real battles had the boy possibly seen? She had grown up on the street, much like Maluk. She'd seen blaster fights, knife fights, absolutely. But war? She hadn't seen that until she left Orania.

She turned as O'Connell approached, trying to come up with a plan. Maluk should probably stay here with the guards, while she and O'Connell did some reconnaissance. She was about to suggest so when the look on his face stopped her.

O'Connell glared at the boy. His eyes dark, menacing slits in a face cut from stone.

Ashe glanced quickly at Maluk only to find him sticking out his tongue at O'Connell, his face burrowing even deeper into her chest. Her growl must have alerted him because he glanced up cautiously, his expression innocent.

She didn't need to articulate her thoughts, her expression was enough. Maluk pulled back, his head down, his hidden grin sheepish.

O'Connell crouched next to Ashe, staring at the open expanse of short grass ahead of them. Ashe took a moment to collect herself. She was surprised and a bit embarrassed that she had allowed herself to get sucked into Maluk's act so quickly. Maybe O'Connell was right. Maybe she had some sort of bizarre 'save the universe' complex_. 'Of course,'_ the voice in her head reminded her, '_that is what you are trying to do_.'

O'Connell gestured to the precipice in front of them. "I want to assess what's going on before I call Guun. Last thing I need is the MorBui flying into a war zone unprepared."

"Agreed," she shouted over the latest explosion. "What the hell is he trying to do down there?"

O'Connell shouted. "Beats me. Probably just smashing the shit out of the place. Pissing Marcus off, letting him know he means business."

"Was this part of the plan?"

"Uh… well… I don't know." His shrug was pure O'Connell. "Not part of mine. I just came for you. I don't care what kind of laws this ass broke. You're the only thing I care about." His gaze never left the sheer drop, but Ashe couldn't stop herself from grinning like a fool.

She leaned toward him and shouted into his ear. "Remind me to thank you later for my rescue." She growled softly and gently bit his earlobe.

O'Connell grinned. "Absofragginlutely!" He motioned toward the cliff face. "Shall we?"

She nodded and then moved swiftly to the edge. It was apparent that all of the action was down below, but she glanced around her as she moved, her blasters covering the open expanse. They reached the cliff edge together, and peered over the side.

Below them lay the K'rier fortress. Even after the considerable bombing the fortress appeared mostly intact. Ashe shook her head. Damn this man had amazing technology. There appeared to be small skirmishes oozing out of the one opening in the fortress fortifications, but the central bombing seemed to be focused on a single tower.

Ashe gestured toward Maluk and he moved to her side. "What's that tower?" she yelled over another explosion.

Maluk thought for a moment. "I think that's… uhm…"

Before he could answer the top of the tower exploded in light. Instinctively they covered their eyes, turning away. O'Connell was the first to risk glancing back. "Holy shit!" he growled in admiration.

Glancing back towards the tower, she saw the light intensify and then slowly begin to drip down the sides of the tower, melting it away as it went. Stone and metal disappeared, disintegrating before their eyes. The brilliant light slowly dropped the length of the tower, eating away its facade as it went. Then a large gaseous cloud burst from near the top of the structure. Ashe recognized it as propulsion exhaust a moment after O'Connell.

"Holy shit!" O'Connell repeated himself.

The top of the tower peeled itself away from its supports and hovered for a moment. All movement on the ground stopped. The thing was enormous, easily twice as big as the MorBui and well out of range of their rockets. It was almost soundless as it hovered. They waited, wondering why the ship simply hovered out of range. Why not leave? It was a forgone conclusion that K'rier was aboard. What was he waiting for?

Once again O'Connell was ahead of her. "What the hell…" he mumbled.

Her eyes were trained on the ship, yet she still almost missed the opening of a bay door. She glanced below, hoping the men there had already started evasive maneuvers, when suddenly the ship roared with life and raced directly at them.

The ship covered the immense space between them in a second. They didn't have time to move, never mind race back into the forest. But they both had their blasters at the ready.

The ship halted a hundred meters from them, hovered in the air and then rotated so the bay door faced them. Two guards, laser rifles trained on them, flanked the opening. It took only a moment for Marcus K'rier to saunter into view. Even above the engine's droning his voice was still liquid honey.

"Hello, my dear." His expression was intimate and she could feel O'Connell grow still beside her. "I hate to make love and run, but you know how these things are." He smiled, that damn rod of his in his hand as he tapped it softly against his thigh, arrogantly reminding her of her response to it. "But take heart, my love. We shall be together again soon. We are meant to be, you and I. Then we will once again taste the full measure of passion that only two equals can share." He glanced at O'Connell, his disdain for the man evident.

O'Connell began to growl and she leaned toward him, trying to reassure him. The power that ship held and the barrels of the guard's blasters pointing at them suggested now was not the time for a cock fight.

Marcus' grin was arrogant and sensual. "Until then," he paused, his eyes raking over her then settling on her mouth, "I shall miss the taste of you."

O'Connell's growl grew louder. Marcus laughed, and then bowed to her, his expression smug. Without another word he turned and moved back into the ship. The guards held their positions, blasters pointed at O'Connell, while the bay door slowly closed. With a gust of air and barely a whisper, the ship shot into the atmosphere.

O'Connell didn't look at her while he spoke. "I'll contact Guun. Let's get the hell off this rock."

As he pulled the comlink from his sleeve and began to growl at Guun, she froze. It suddenly dawned on her that she still had a mission to accomplish. She still had to get the stone to Master Ling, had to explain everything to O'Connell and had to convince him that she never wanted to hurt him and she still needed to convince herself that she could do this without him, if it came to that.

Her sigh was ragged and she suddenly felt exhausted.

"And hurry!" O'Connell shoved the comlink back into the pocket on his sleeve. He turned to Ashe, his expression angry. "Guun's coming."

She nodded, the thought of being back on the MorBui exhilarating. 'Like going home,' she thought. The look she gave to O'Connell was both exhausted and grateful.

He reached for her, roughly dragging her into his embrace. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, gently kissing the top of her head. She melted into his arms, thankful for their strength.

"We've got a lot to talk about," she murmured into his chest.

"Uh huh," he mumbled into her hair.

They stood in silence for a moment and then he asked, "Can I get a pint first? It's been a fraggin' long day."

"Oh gods yes!" was her grateful response.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The MorBui arrived only moments later. Guun practically leapt from the ship to scoop Ashe into in his arms. His massive strength and joy at seeing her alive combined to form an embrace that almost squeezed the life from of her.

"Guun…" she mumbled into his chest.

"I'm so glad he didn't get you killed, tiger," Guun said, holding back his tears.

"Me too!" she chuckled. "But Guun I can't… breathe."

"I'm just so happy!" he sighed, lifting her off the ground and hugging her even tighter.

"Enough, you red-headed idiot! You're killing her. Put my woman down and go find your own!" O'Connell smacked his friend playfully on his ass.

Guun tilted his head back and laughed, then placed her gently on the ground, kissing the top of her head. "Just happy your with us again, tiger."

She took an extra moment before pulling away from him, tears in her eyes. Even before the kidnapping, she had been certain she would never see this cumbersome giant again. Having her friend squeeze the breath out of her was small payment for the chance to once more hear his warm, deep laughter.

With their reunion complete, they took Maluk and the two guards and met up with the Altro and his forces. The battle had come to an abrupt halt when K'rier fled, his mercenary force less effective alone and leaderless. The Altro and his men were simply clearing out the fortress, treating the wounded and forming a few make-shift prisons for what remained of K'rier's guards. Luckily the fortress had a built in dungeon.

Though she had been surprised when she first met the Altro, it quickly became obvious why the man held the office he did. His command of his men was absolute, his handling of the attack and its aftermath, brilliant. She had been impressed and grateful for his abilities.

The Altro insisted that they head to his daughter's tavern and wait for him there. The look in his eye had left Ashe with the distinct impression that they would be talking late into the night. However there was a lot of what had occurred over the past day that she did not understand, and she hoped the Altro might shed some light on it.

After she vouched for their two guard companions, the unconscious fellow was taken to their makeshift infirmary. The younger one was drafted into one of the Altro's cleanup crews. As the job did not require him to carry a fire arm or go into the forest, he seemed pleased.

They left the MorBui in the same copse as before and made their way back to town. Maluk led the way, racing ahead, his impatience to be back almost palpable. She grinned, guessing he probably couldn't wait to brag to his friends about his adventure. She was also fairly certain that, somewhere in the telling, would be a vivid description of him seeing her naked.

O'Connell walked beside her, matching his steps to hers. The war playing out in his heart, not showing on his face. He wasn't angry with her anymore. That feeling seemed an eon ago. He was angry with himself. It was his fault she'd been kidnapped! God knows what Marcus did to her. He glanced in her direction, then quickly back toward the town's gates. Did he ask her? Did he demand to know? Did he want to know? What if she didn't want to talk about it? What if… what if she hated him for getting her kidnapped?

'_Arrrggg…'_ O'Connell groaned inwardly, rubbing the spot between his eyes, '_Piss on it.'_ He decided. _'I'll just find the guy and rip his fraggin' guts out.'_ Forming a plan of sorts comforted him and his stride became more confident, however he made sure he did not stray from Ashe's side.

They made it to the tavern quickly, the thought of a cold pint hastening their steps. Guun held the door open for her. "After you, my lady," his tone was full of warmth and he found he couldn't stop grinning at her.

"Why thank you, kind sir," she replied and grinned when O'Connell rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Though the daylight waned outside, it was considerably darker inside the tavern. The usual crowd filled the room, but the noise level seemed higher, more intense. There was an abrupt silence as their entrance registered.

The waitress he remembered as Bess came directly to them. She grinned at O'Connell. "Good to see you again, sirra. Gynni has asked me to take you out back. She's set a table there for you and her father." Bess motioned for them to follow her, as the patrons slowly resumed their conversations. "It's all so exciting, isn't it?"

"Exciting?" Ashe echoed.

"Oh yes! What with Master K'rier taking you, right from here! My word, never thought I'd see the day anyone was stupid enough to do that!" Bess rambled on excitedly, weaving her way between the tables. "Course with Master K'rier its probably more arrogance than stupidity. But then the Altro, commanding the forces, attacking Master K'rier's estate! Hola! Never happened before that I know of. Right big doings I'd say. And Master K'rier, taking off like that. Heading into space! Running away like a coward, but then bullies are often cowards I find, don't you?"

"Absolutely," Ashe agreed, letting the waitress's babble wash over her.

Bess led them down the hallway and held open the door to the kitchen. "But then you were right there in the thick of it weren't you? Probably exhilarating and frightening all at the same time!"

Ashe nodded, hoping her expression did not reflect any of the confusion she felt about her treatment by Master K'rier.

"Well mistress has set out a nice meal for you, and some strong drink. I imagine it will be most welcome," Bess said, offering her a warm smile.

Ashe nodded. "Thank you."

"Of course, m'um. Enjoy your meal." She smiled at Ashe and O'Connell and then grinned wickedly at Guun. "You too, handsome." Winking flirtatiously, she sauntered away from them back to the main room.

"Guun, you dog!" O'Connell laughed as they entered the kitchen and took seats at the table.

"Whad' I do?" Guun asked innocently, having been so focused on the food he had missed Bess's invitation.

Ashe would have made a caustic comment, but the smell of the meal Bess had set for them filled her senses. The sound her stomach made drowned out any response she might have had. Without hesitation she began filling her plate with meats and bread, diving into them with gusto.

O'Connell and Guun watched her for a moment, their expressions amused. "Don't let your hand get too close to her mouth," Guun suggested as she shoved another roll into her mouth faster than she could chew. When she began to choke, O'Connell slapped her on the back and handed her a pint.

"Here, drink this. And slow down before you choke to death!"

"Sorry, I'm hungry. I haven't eaten since last night, right before I was _kidnapped_!" Ashe growled.

Guun chocked back a laugh and O'Connell sighed. "I guess I'm going to get that thrown in my face every time you get a bit testy with me?"

"Damn straight," she agreed, then drank deeply from her mug and sighed, the warmth of the food and drink already working their magic on her frayed nerves. "And probably once in a while, just when I feel like it."

"Fine." O'Connell began to fill his plate. "Just so you know, my revenge will be sweet," his voice dropped to a threatening whisper, "And will probably involve spanking…"

She took a long drink from her mug, licked the foam off her lips and replied, "Bring it on, big boy."

O'Connell choked on his bread.

Guun threw back his head and laughed. "God I love this woman!"

His laughter was interrupted when Gynni entered the kitchen. Gynni immediately went to Ashe, pulling her into an embrace.

"I cannot tell you how sorry I am that you were taken from my tavern. That Marcus, that… that sorry excuse for a Teufler… would dare abduct someone under my protection!"

Ashe disentangled herself from Gynni. "It's okay. Really. It's not your fault. Please don't worry about it."

"Worry about it?" Gynni growled. "I'll do more than worry about it. I'm going to track that man down no matter what it takes. He will pay for what he's done." Ashe could sense her determination and understood it. What surprised her was how Maluk halted shoving biscuits into his mouth as she spoke, watching her with complete incredulity.

Gynni followed Ashe's gaze. When she caught Maluk's incredulous stare she shook her head and said, "Just eat, Maluk."

His eyes as large as the plate before him, he nodded. "Okay, G." He tried to grab Guun's pint, but the big man's hands were faster and Guun covered the boy's small hand in his.

"Get your own, kid." Guun added the slightest amount of pressure to his grasp and the kid let out a soft cry.

"You got it," Maluk whispered.

Gynni grabbed a small tankard and filled it with water, placing it before the boy. His thanks were half-hearted. She took a seat next to Guun and began to fill a plate for herself. "Word from my father is that Marcus," she said the name with disgust, "appeared to head off-world."

O'Connell nodded. "That's what I saw. Peeled off into the atmosphere without a sound. Damn fine ship he had too."

Ashe grunted. She would have had trouble denying the fact that all of Marcus K'rier's technology was high end. That force field alone had been amazing. '_Best not think of that right now girl,_' she reminded herself. '_Focus on food.'_

Gynni angrily stabbed at the cooked vegetables on her plate. "I do not have the resources to follow him off-world. "The fact that he might not face punishment for the crimes he committed makes me… well… quite angry."

Maluk paused again, his fork half way to his mouth. This time Gynni ignored him. "However, I will take solace in knowing that you are here with us now," she smiled at Ashe, "and that his absence from D'Sai will hopefully open the door for another, more just owner, to take his place." She sighed and taking pity on her food, lay the fork down and smiled at Guun.

"And I'm sorry for my rudeness. I have not introduced myself. I am Gynni." She reached out and shook Guun's hand.

He was startled to find a surprising rush of peace envelope him. "Guun. M'am," he replied shyly.

"Hello, Guun. It's so very nice to meet you."

O'Connell watched as a goofy smile played across Guun's face. He turned to Ashe and motioning to Guun whispered, "She has this effect on people."

Ashe watched Guun blush at some comment the woman made. She hadn't felt any different with the woman, not even when she had hugged her. She was about to ask O'Connell what the affect Gynni had on him, when the Altro and his ever-present companion entered the kitchen.

The Altro's expression was grim; Karl had no expression at all. Garulus took a seat at the head of the table, his companion stood directly behind him. Without realizing it they had each paused their eating when he entered and tried to stand, but he waved at them to be seated.

"Have you secured D'Sai, father?" Gynni asked.

He nodded and began to fill a plate with food. Gynni filled his mug with beer. He took a long draft of the bittersweet liquid before replying. "The base itself is secured. The men continue to root out the hidden and the resolute. It was interesting to watch K'rier's mercenaries surrender as soon as they saw that ship depart." Garulus chuckled under his breath. "Mercenaries."

"And the infirmary? Are they holding up? Do they need further supplies?"

Garulus nodded at each of her questions. "All is well daughter or I would not have left. However if you find the time later, they could always use your support. Some of them will need to be treated, before they can be moved to the L'aini."

Gynni made a mental note of her stock and the supplies she would need. "Of course, father."

"Meanwhile, I think your time is better spent here. You of all people know Marcus best. What in the hells do you think he was up to daughter?" Garulus caught his daughter's gaze and held it.

Gynni paused, her mind racing. "I have been struggling with that myself, father."

"I think that's my fault, Gar." O'Connell's casual use of the Altro's name caused Maluk to turn white.

The Altro turned to him, seemingly unaffected by the nickname. "How so? You still believe you are the reason for her abduction?"

O'Connell stared at him, confused. He glanced at Ashe, then back to the Altro. "Well. Yeah." He turned to Ashe. "You said he kept asking about me, right?"

She nodded and then paused. Something was gnawing at her… something Marcus had said.

"Father," Gynni spoke slowly. "As you say, long ago, I knew Marcus. And though he has greatly changed in the past decades from the boy I once knew, there is one thing about Marcus that will never change. He does nothing, absolutely nothing, without the intent of gain for himself."

Garulus nodded. "I agree." He turned his piercing gaze toward Ashe. She however was focused on the pint she held and missed his intent expression. "Somewhere is this equation Marcus chose to risk exposing himself, losing his land, his estate, risking death itself in order to take this young woman. Why? Why are you so important?"

They all turned toward her, but she wasn't there. She was back in the dungeon, standing there, incapable of movement, Marcus and that damn rod of his pressing against her. What had he said? Yes, he had asked about O'Connell. But what else? Focusing her thoughts on a chilled droplet as it ran down the side of her pint she played the scene again in her mind. He had held that damn rod, flashing it again and again, kissing her, making her body scream for release. Then the interruption! The voice on the comlink, saving her… but then… something… what had he said?

'_Oh think you stupid girl!'_ she mentally chided herself. _'Think!'_ He answered the com. He apologized for having to leave, he had company, some woman… _ah ha_! She remembered that! He had said show _her_ to the library. She must have been important; Ashe didn't think he would have stopped toying with her if she wasn't.

Then… then he had said something else. What was it? He apologized. He promised he would be back and then, then he would… he would finish what he had started and she would tell him… tell him… about… _it_!

Her head jerked up violently. Turning toward O'Connell she cried out, "_It_!"

He reached out and patted her head speaking to her as if she had gone mad. "Ok. Babe. _It_…"

"No!" She turned to the Altro. "_It!_ Up until he left me unconscious… right after he got the call, he said _it_!"

The Altro watched her face for a moment, not as quick to judge her mental state at O'Connell. "What is the _it_? Do you know?"

Ashe shook her head. "He had to leave me. Some woman had arrived and he had her taken to the library so he could meet with her there. I was encased in a force field up to my shoulders." Ashe turned toward Guun, her face excited. "You should have seen it, Guun. It was amazing. Held me fast, glued to the floor, couldn't move a muscle. But he could get right up next to me and it didn't affect him."

Guun whistled in appreciation.

"The _'It'_, please?" Garulus interrupted.

"Oh yes, sorry." Ashe played the scene again in her mind. "He got the call, told me he had to leave and said he would be back to 'finish what he had started and then maybe I would tell him where _it_ was'."

O'Connell's face turned to stone. "Finished what he started?" he echoed softly, then wrapped his hand around his pint, squeezing it until the glass started to crack. He was definitely killing this guy. With prejudice.

"Where _it_ was…" Garulus continued to watch Ashe's face. O'Connell was focusing his rage on his pint, Guun's mind had moved on to the technology involved in Marcus's force field, so they both missed her change of expression. But the Altro saw it go from excitement, to confusion and then to fear.

She glanced up and saw that he understood she had finally connected the circuits. "I think I know what he wants." They all turned toward her then. "But I don't know why."

"Well," O'Connell's tone was angry. O'Connell didn't like riddles. "If he doesn't want me, what the hell does the guy want?"

Ashe turned to him, her expression apologetic. "The stone."

O'Connell's confusion was evident. "The what? The stone? What stone?"

She looked sheepish, "You know, the one I… _borrowed_… from you."

It took a moment for O'Connell to catch up. After all he had never really cared about the stone, he had only cared that she had taken it and left. It was the leaving that had killed him. The rest of it was all just crap. And then his face lit up as he understood all of the implications of what she was saying.

"You mean… it's not my fault? I didn't get you kidnapped! You stole the stone from me and that got you kidnapped?" he shouted.

Ashe nodded reluctantly. "It would appear so."

"Ha! _Ha ha ha_!" He jabbed his fist into the air. "It wasn't my fault and you can't hold this over my head for the rest of eternity!"

She shrugged. It was true, she couldn't. _Damn._ But how the hell had Marcus known she had the stone and what kind of value would it hold for him?

"How the hell did he know I had it?" She spoke her thoughts out loud, trying to ignore O'Connell as he kept up his victory punching of the air around him. "Even you didn't know it had value. Well, much anyway."

"I knew it was worth something, babe or I wouldn't have stolen…" _Crap!_ He glanced around the table, making note of Gynni's angry expression, "acquired… _acquired_ it in the first place."

"Fine," Ashe shook her head in annoyance, "but how did he know? How did he know it had value and how in the hell did he know I had it?"

O'Connell stopped pounding the air long enough to stare at her. When it became clear that she was completely lost, he shook his head in resignation. Taking her hand in his, he rubbed his thumb along the edge of her wrist. Sometimes her naiveté surprised him. "Who paid you to take it from me, Ashe? My guess is either K'rier has been after this thing for some time, and finally got the drop on it by cornering your employer, or you were double crossed."

Ashe grew pale. Master Ling would never betray her willingly, she was certain of that. But what if Marcus had found him? What if Master Ling was dead?

The Altro interrupted her thoughts. "Did Marcus get this… stone?"

She gave him a vacant stare, then shook her head adamantly. "No. I left it with V. She…" Ashe suddenly realized she hadn't checked on V's status since her abduction.

As if reading her thoughts, Guun pulled his comlink out of his sleeve. "V? You still ok, hon?"

The ship's silken voice purred from the comlink. "Hello, my Guun. I am still functioning within normal parameters. Though your absence has made me feel… concerned. That is the appropriate word, is it not?"

Ashe looked at Guun quizzically. She mouthed the words, 'My Guun?'

"Yeah, hon. That's the right word." Guun started to blush as Ashe continued to stare at him.

"Which word, Guun? Concerned, or _feel_?" Ashe stared at the big man, her expression incredulous, "What the hell did you do to my ship?"

"Guun, you dog!" O'Connell quipped. "Makin' time with Ashe's ship!"

"It's not like that!" Guun protested. "She needed repairs. Ashe was in trouble, you were rescuing her. I was stuck on the MorBui doing nothing! I just offered to help her out, keep her in the loop, fix the hyro seal, you know… give her a tweak here and there."

O'Connell's grin was wicked. "A tweak? You devil."

Garulus gave them all a withering look. "This stone? Is it still secure aboard her?"

Guun pressed the link. "V. Do you still have the stone the Captain gave you?"

"Of course," she replied, her voice dripping with sensuality. "The Captain ordered me to secure the artifact at all costs. It is safe." They all breathed a sigh of relief. "Although…"

Guun's face froze. "Although what?"

"There have been unusual sensor readings. I would normally credit them as biofluxations, emanating from the surrounding plant life. However these are unique."

"Unique how?" Guun felt a growing concern in his gut.

"They are far more intense than my calculations indicate acceptable for the local vegetation. Though the emanations are erratic in nature, I have begun to sense an overall pattern in their motion."

It was Ashe's turn to feel concerned. "V. There is no pattern in natural bioflux."

"You are correct, Captain. This is why I have made note of it. Its pattern suggests I am being scanned, however at this juncture I cannot assess by what." She paused a moment, then added, "Captain, I am _glad_ you have not ceased to function."

"Thank you, V." Ashe stared at Guun, amazed.

O'Connell stood abruptly. "I think we need to get to V."

Guun agreed. "We're on our way, babe. Hold tight."

V's response was almost excited. "I will continue to… hold tight. I look forward to being with you again, my Guun."

Guun severed the communication and tried to ignore Ashe's snort of laughter. "Let's go. She's alone out there and someone is looking for her."

Garulus stood. "I will accompany you. I believe I need to see this artifact for myself." His tone left no room for argument.

O'Connell shrugged. "Ashe? V first?"

Ashe nodded. "Let's get that stone off of her. Is she still where I left her Guun, or did you move her as well as… tweak her?" Her grin was evil.

Guun sighed. "She's where you left her. But that's at least three clicks out. It will take us some time to get there."

Garulus motioned to Karl and he set off in search of mounts.

"I'm coming too!" Maluk cried.

"The hell you are!" O'Connell's laugh was derisive. "We're done with you, kid. Go play in the dirt."

Maluk turned to Ashe, his eyes large and pitiful. "I know a lot about Master K'rier. The stuff 'e does. I might be able to tell ya what 'e wants with the stone."

The Altro nodded. "The boy is correct. He may be able to help us understand Marcus's desire for this artifact."

O'Connell growled in frustration. The look he sent Maluk promised future retribution. Maluk simply grinned triumphantly. He was an expert at avoiding future retribution.

Ashe was quiet as they worked their way to the tavern's entrance, her thoughts roiling. If K'rier knew about the stone, who else knew? Why hadn't Master Ling warned her others might be after it? What if Master Ling was dead? '_No,'_ she thought angrily, _'I will not accept that as a possibility._' What if he were injured? She didn't know what to do with this _thing_. She was only supposed to get it, and then _he_ was going to use it to save the universe. She didn't know what the hell to do and even if she could figure it out, how was she going to convince O'Connell to help her? And why did V refer to that stone as _the artifact_? What the hell was the damn thing anyway?

Gynni left them at the door. "I will gather what I need and head out to D'Sai, father. I would be most interested to hear your thoughts on this artifact when you return."

"Discover the identity of the woman that came to K'rier's estate as well. I will know who she was and her business with Marcus. T'alu, my daughter." The Altro gave Gynni the barest of nods.

"O'Connell," Gynni reached out her hand and he reluctantly took it in his. The sensation he felt was not as intense as before, but he still had the insane desire to hug someone.

He gave the woman's hand a quick shake then yanked his hand from hers. "Thanks for the help." He added a smile, hoping he didn't offend her. He didn't like the way her touch calmed him. He was not comfortable calm. It was like a tight new pair of boots. Just didn't fit right. Made him ache a little.

Gynni leaned in and took Ashe in another hug. "Again, I am so sorry for what happened."

Ashe let the hug last this time, trying to feel what it was O'Connell felt at her touch. "It was obviously not your fault, Gynni, please don't worry about it," she replied, pulling away with a sigh. She didn't feel any different when she touched the woman, and that was a bit annoying.

Outside, it had grown dark, the sun lost behind the horizon. Karl waited, their mount's reigns in his hand. O'Connell grunted in annoyance. These animals looked more like horses than the last lizard things he had ridden, though that was small comfort.

He turned to the silent Karl and asked, "What, nothing made of metal?" Karl's features didn't move, but O'Connell was fairly certain there was smoke pouring from his nostrils.

"We have few mechanical transports in town," the Altro explained, "and those we have are presently at D'Sai."

O'Connell shrugged. '_What did it matter, they were almost ready to get off this rock.'_ He grabbed the reigns of a white mount and climbed onto the beast. Though the saddle was much like any of the mounts he had ridden, the beast itself was extremely hairy. He wondered how the thing could see through the long bangs hanging over its eyes. He tried the reigns and found the animal responded well. O'Connell shrugged. As long as it did what he told it to.

Ashe sat atop a tawny mount, trying the reigns, getting a feel for the beast. Within moments she found her center and she and the animal moved as one. She reached down to Maluk, who happily took her hand and allowed her to pull him up onto her mount. He sat behind her, his arms wrapped around her, his expression triumphant. She glanced at the others, waiting as Guun tried desperately to find his balance on the large animal below him. She tried not to grin as her friend bobbed first forward, then backward.

Moving toward him she tried not to chuckle. "Just grip with your knees, Guun."

"I'm tryin'! It just doesn't seem to want me up here!" Guun barely caught himself from falling off. "For god's sake, woman, don't they have anything I can fly?"

Ashe burst out laughing. "Guun, just imagine you're on the MorBui. Under the propulsion array, straddling the crossbeams, to get at the hydrogen casing."

He looked at her like she had a third head, then sighed and closed his eyes. Slowly the animal began to quiet. "Hey, it's working!" Guun sat still for a moment, feeling the movement of the animal beneath him, then moving with the animal, not against him.

She nodded. "You just have to listen to your mount like you listen to your ship."

"I guess. Still prefer a ship under me though," he grumbled.

"And I'm sure V appreciates that," Ashe chuckled.

"If you are ready?" The Altro's tone inferred that of course they were.

They headed slowly out of town, not working to a full run until they had left the streets behind them. Ashe led the way, Maluk behind her, O'Connell still by her side. Garulus and Karl moved in time directly behind her; however Guun moved a little slower, his ability to stay mounted at a full gallop a challenge.

The mounts appeared unhindered by the darkness, which helped Ashe's already frayed nerves. The first two clicks were a flat, rocky terrain. Their mounts moved efficiently across the open expanse, their large hoofs expertly maneuvering through the rock. They were in sight of the forest before Ashe sensed something was wrong. She glanced at O'Connell, wondering if she was being paranoid, but the look he gave her confirmed her fears. She couldn't place it, couldn't tell what it was, but something was there and he felt it as well.

Then suddenly it intensified, rolling over her, a sharpened tingling, almost a slight pinching against her skin. Her mount miss-stepped and she had to grab at its fur or fall. The look she gave O'Connell held fear. She had a very bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

He must have felt it as well, he moved his mount closer to Ashe's, but did not slow. _'Whatever it is_,' he thought, '_it's not natural.'_ He glanced at the sky around them. Its darkness was broken by the brilliant lights of a million stars, but there was no outline of a ship, anywhere he looked. He was almost ready to put his fears down to paranoia when the sensations that washed over his skin, changed. It had been unpleasant before, but suddenly it was much more intense. It felt as if his clothes were on fire, burning his skin.

The look on Ashe's face mirrored his own. This was much more powerful, much more painful. The mounts began to skitter as they ran. He shot a glance at Guun only to find the big man bouncing in his saddle, desperately trying to hold on. He wasn't sure how much faster they could move, their mounts were barely responding to their commands and Guun was scarcely holding on.

Then the air between them and V began to shimmer and O'Connell groaned as the intensity of the energy washed over him_. 'This is not going to be good,'_ he thought, and then screamed, "Move!" He grabbed Ashe's reigns and yanked her mount to the left with his. Guun or his mount must have felt it as well as they bolted to the right just as the air in front of them exploded into flame.

It began as a wall, an impenetrable barrier of fire and energy. O'Connell raced along it heading west, keeping as much distance between it and them as he could. He could see the end of the fire wall a few hundred feet ahead of them and he focused on that point, stubbornly heading for it. This thing wanted to keep him away from V, so he had no intention of letting it.

They had almost reached the edge of the fiery barrier when it began to undulate. O'Connell growled, _'Great, now what?'_ The energy seemed to coalesce, grow thicker, heavier. It pulled in onto itself, almost consuming itself, and then it broke into two and began to race after them.

'_Wonderful,'_ O'Connell thought as he turned their mounts in the direction of the forest. _'Wall's gone, now it's just hunting us._' The fire burned hotter than any in his memory. It raced along the ground behind him, following their every step. He could feel its heat and electric charge chasing them. He wanted to dodge, move left or right, something to get out of its path, but he felt certain that this was not a natural phenomenon, this was technological. Which meant someone with a brain was at the controls. Speed might be the only way to escape it.

Ashe dug her knees into her mount, desperate to hold on at this speed. O'Connell had grabbed her reigns as they bolted away so now she had little to do but grip the pommel. She risked a glance behind them. What she saw unnerved her. A pillar of fire appeared to be chasing them. It rose twenty meters into the air, a brilliant molten column of energy. Its twin seemed to be moving just as quickly in the opposite direction. Her heart froze at the thought of that energy hitting Guun.

Their mounts began to slow, the pace too much for them. Ashe and Maluk as one cried out to O'Connell, "It's gaining!"

O'Connell did not glance back, instead he tried to focus on draining their mounts of every ounce of energy they had. If they reached the forest, maybe they could lose that thing in there. He laughed to himself, '_Like that thing couldn't burn down anything in its path._' He was running out of ideas and the animals were running out of time.

Ashe could feel the heat on her back increase. It began to wash over her like liquid fire. She knew the column was quickly gaining on them. Maluk's arms tightened around her and she could only imagine what the boy was feeling. His small body pressed up against her back, must be blocking most of the heat. She turned back to judge the distance and froze. The column was only a few feet behind them.

She screamed, "O'Connell!" as the burning tower descended upon them. She stared at the undulating column of fire, certain it would have them, and then it suddenly disappeared. They crashed through the forest's boundaries, continuing their forward momentum into the forest.

O'Connell was focused on finding safety, oblivious to the column's evaporation. It took a moment for Ashe's cries to register and his subconscious began to note the lack of heat. He risked slowing the mounts to glance behind him. They had traveled deep enough into the woods that he was unable to make out the edge. Darkness surrounded him, and he thrilled as he realized the column was no longer there. He pulled the mounts up short and grabbed his comlink from his sleeve.

"Guun? Guun? You out there? Answer me, man!" O'Connell growled franticly.

There was a moment that felt like an eternity where the only response was static, and then Guun's tired voice crackled across the clicks to him. "I'm fine, mum. Don't get your panties in a twist."

O'Connell's relief was overwhelming. He covered it with a caustic, "So what the hell was that?"

Guun's chuckle was distorted, the comlink heavy with static. "My guess is microbursts, intense EMP, definitely energy distortion of some kind. With a control I have never seen! This guy K'rier has some pretty intense toys…"

O'Connell cut him off. "Where are you at? Is Gar with you?"

"Negative. Lost him at the start. I tried to loop around to help but that big guy waved me off. Then the damn wall split and started to follow me. So I took off as fast as I could. Which, it turned out," he could hear his derisive snort, "was much faster than I thought I could."

"Hey, bear. You anywhere near V?" Ashe asked, her voice filled with relief that her friend was alive.

"Hey, darlin'. Good to hear your voice. This thing I was riding is almost dead, but I can make it to V on foot in less than a quarter mark. What about you guys?"

O'Connell shook his head. "Negative. We're too far away. At this point it's better if we head to the MorBui. We'll get the hell off this rock and meet up at Xatra."

"Oowwe…" Guun gushed. "I do love that planet."

"Be careful, idiot. They're after that stupid rock and V's got it," O'Connell reprimanded him.

"Yes, mother. I'm not gonna let anything happen to V. Or the damn artifact. Guun out." He severed the connection and the forest around them grew silent.

"Did you notice the amount of static?" Ashe asked.

"Yup." O'Connell glanced around them. He had maybe two meters of visibility, then black. He hit a button on his comlink and the dial began to glow red. A light raced around the edges, then settled in the northeastern corner. O'Connell handed Ashe back her reigns. "Let's go. I'm not going to feel comfortable until I have some steel beneath me." He paused and then added. "Kid, you still alive?"

Maluk's reply was edged with pain as he mumbled into Ashe's back, "Yeah. Tough luck I didn't die!"

O'Connell grinned at Ashe, "Good. Then I still get to kill you later."

Maluk's rebellious grunt was halfhearted.

They edged their mounts forward, letting them carefully pick their way in the dark. O'Connell thoughts focused on the column of fire and its abrupt termination. He wondered if their escape had been due to some malfunction of the energy column, or if whoever had attacked them had chosen to end it. Either way he still felt vulnerable and he hated vulnerable. He glanced over at Ashe, barely able to make out her features in the dark. The thought of her fried to a crisp made his blood run cold. "If those energy bursts start washing over us again, I need you to take off as fast as you can. Don't hesitate. Do you still have your link?"

Ashe nodded.

"Then get to the ship and get off this rock. No matter what. Am I clear, Ashe?"

Ashe grunted into the darkness.

"Ashe?"

"O'Connell," her tone was weary. "I will get to the MorBui. But I will not, under any circumstances, leave you behind. I didn't on Mildon and I won't here."

"You're a stubborn woman, babe." O'Connell shook his head in resignation, and then countered, "And why does everyone keep bringing up Mildon? It wasn't that bad."

Ashe grunted. "You would say that. You weren't stuck in a dung hole behind a line of Tulisian soldiers waiting for your partner to stop boffing a Priestess so he could cause the distraction you needed to escape."

"Hey! I set off those charges. We got out," his said defensively.

Ashe chuckled. "You damn well took your time."

"Besides, the whole Priestess thing was part of the distraction."

That made Ashe burst out in laughter. "Well she certainly distracted you!"

"Yeah…" O'Connell lost himself in the memory for a moment.

"O'Connell," Ashe murmured, her tone changing abruptly.

"Yeah, babe?"

Ashe paused a moment, her heart in her throat. O'Connell was a difficult man at the best of times and her mission was not his. His reaction was not a forgone conclusion. Still, it was time to find out where he stood. "I still need the stone."

"I know," was his quiet reply.

"I still need to get it to Ling."

"I know."

"I could do it without you… but I'd rather… you know… do it with you."

"I know." O'Connell grinned into the darkness.

"So, you'll help?" Ashe damned the darkness, wishing she could read his expression.

O'Connell paused a moment before replying. "Babe, here's the thing. I could go on without you. I could go back to 'Acquisitions'. Guun and I had a great life. We did well. But since you came along, everything's changed. You… you make things… _fun_."

"Fun?" Ashe couldn't help but feel a little disappointed at that.

"Yeah… fun." He laughed softly. "You make things… so much fraggin' _fun_…" he halted his mount and leaned toward her, his mouth inches from hers, "and I love you for that."

Ashe stopped breathing for a moment, unable to look away from his eyes as they captured hers. Then she grinned wickedly. "Remind me later to show you how much fun I can be."

O'Connell growled again and leaned in, placing his mouth firmly on hers, kissing her with an intensity that made her moan softly. She reached up and ran her hand through his hair, pulling him closer.

"Hey! Kid back 'ere!" Maluk cried in disgust.

O'Connell pulled away and mumbled, "Remind me to kill him sooner rather than later…"

Ashe grinned as she felt a huge weight lift from her shoulders. Leaving him and Guun had been one of the hardest things she had ever done. Now that he was choosing to help her, she felt nothing was impossible.

They were silent as they moved into the darkness, edging their mounts in the direction of the MorBui.

* * *

The man slumped slowly to the deck, his inert body hitting the floor with a thud.

"I said close to her, not on top of her," Marcus growled and then sighed, annoyed. Tapping the now inert rod against the palm of his hand, he turned to the nearest guard. "Remove him. Then find another to manage the array."

"Yes, milord." The guard moved quickly, squelching the fear in his stomach.

The woman standing next to K'rier smiled, though the smile did not reach her eyes. Her hair shone like liquid fire in the dim lights of the bridge, her skin like alabaster, her voice like honey. Her dark green eyes showed no emotion when she spoke. "So you wish for her to live. Wise?"

"My dearest, Yseult," Marcus's tone suggested anything but actual affection. "Killing her gains me nothing. Alive, she is both a homing beacon and source of potential income."

Yseult's sigh bordered on critical. "Understood. However you play a dangerous game, Marcus. Free, she may elude you and get to Ling before you can take her again. I do not understand why you simply do not kill her and take the Key now?"

His laugh was derisive and her eyes began to sparkle in anger. "This is not about the Key or Ling for you anymore is it, my dear? Your purpose is no longer clear." He continued to laugh, but she held her tongue, his grip on that rod of his a grim reminder of his taciturn nature. "You have lost your focus. All you can think about is destroying her. Feign to deny it!"

Yseult shook her head, her long fiery red curls bouncing about her bare white shoulders. "Absolutely not. She is nothing. It is only the Key that matters."

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. My dear. Admit it, you will feel better," he purred, grinning wickedly. "She succeeded where you had failed. She acquired the Key, you did not. Now don't pout," he placed the rod against her cheek and her breath caught in her throat. "It was a difficult task set before you. It is no wonder you did not succeed. However let's not hold a grudge. When I finally do take her, the Key and Ling, won't it all feel so much more… exhilarating?"

Yseult's concentration was focused on keeping the fear from her eyes as the rod lay gently against her check. She knew Marcus well, knew it would mean nothing for him to fry her brain like he had the engineer's. He cared nothing for life, only for power. Still, he had let that girl live. That was surprising indeed and quite out of character. She managed to smile coyly, "If you are content, milord, then so am I."

Marcus smirked and slowly ran the rod down her neck, and across her shoulders, resting on the white expanse of breast her dress offered. He sent a surge of energy through the rod and he heard her soft gasp.

"Dillon," he said, without taking his eyes off Yseult's face, the traces of fear and passion there exciting him.

"Yes, milord." The first mate stepped forward.

"Follow her ship. Discreetly."

"Yes, milord."

"Alert me to any changes."

"Yes, milord." Dillon cleared his throat. "Do you wish me to send another squadron after the second ship, milord?"

"No, Dillon. Only the girl matters at the moment."

"As you wish, milord." Dillon breathed a sigh of relief, thanking the gods that his lord's attention was focused on his companion's breasts.

"Come, my dear. I feel drained after the excitement of the day." Marcus pulsed the rod again and found himself growing increasingly excited at her gasps. He moved swiftly toward his cabin, knowing she would follow.

Yseult's pace was considerably slower. Part of the game they played. She never gave into Marcus too quickly. He liked a challenge, even if it was illusionary. The act of seduction turned him on more than the act of sex itself. She knew it was another act of power for him. Still, her mind raced with concerns. It seemed this girl intrigued him. He still wanted her. Well, wanted her alive at any rate. Perhaps it was because he had not bedded her? Possibly.

Or was it because she had procured the Key when they had failed? She marveled again at the way men loved to rewrite history. Yes she had failed to retrieve the Key, but then so had he! Of all of the disciples, only the girl had succeeded. Was that what intrigued him? The girl was comely, no doubt. However beauty never fascinated Marcus for long. He did enjoy possessing it, but he very quickly moved onto the next. She herself had been the only woman, or man for that matter, that he had ever had an extended partnership with. And even that was always on his terms. However, there was something about this girl that fascinated him. She reached his cabin door and paused. Some way, somehow, she would use this weakness of his to her advantage.

Straightening her shoulders she smiled coyly. Meanwhile, if there was one thing Marcus was good at, it was pleasuring a woman. "Might as well have some fun," she murmured to herself and opened the cabin door, her eyes filled with hunger.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Xatra loomed ahead of them, a giant silver ball in an ocean of darkness. It had taken three days to cover the distance between the planets, O'Connell spending most of his time keeping the MorBui undetected, while trying to detect how many ships were following them. His best guess, based on his scans and his gut, was two, which everyone knew meant there _were_ two.

What surprised them all was that no ship seemed to be following V. It quickly became apparent that Marcus was intent on her and not the stone. Separating seemed like the best course of action, keeping the artifact as far away from Ashe and subsequently Marcus, as possible. They decided to land the MorBui at Vesta, one of Xatra's capitals. O'Connell would attempt to contact Burke an old friend, his hope that Burke could either get an untraceable message to Ling or loan them a ship that Marcus wouldn't know to follow. Meanwhile Guun would take V to a smaller settlement to finish the work he had started on the engine repairs.

Marcus' focus had not come as a welcome surprise to O'Connell. In fact the information had caused him to fall into an unnatural silence. The silence had been a disturbing, if welcome, reprieve from the ranting she had endured when they first made it back to the ship.

She dropped into the seat next to O'Connell, watching him as he prepared to enter the planet's atmosphere, her mind drifting back to those first few hours. Once they had made it back to the MorBui, it had taken only a few moments to prep her for takeoff. Ashe had settled Maluk in Guun's cabin and once they were airborne, treated his wounds and given him a sedative. The burns on his back had begun to blister and she knew he must have been in great deal of pain. He had hardly whimpered when she cleaned and dressed the burns, but had quickly passed out after she given him the sedative.

She had left Maluk and entered the galley, intent on making some hot coffee for her and O'Connell. He had successfully cornered her there, intent on venting his bent up frustration.

"You _should_ have trusted me," O'Connell had yelled.

Ashe had bit back her retort of, 'as if you're trustworthy' and, handing him a hot cup of coffee, chose instead to let him rant. He had earned it. "You're right and I'm sorry."

"I'd have helped you!"

Ashe nodded without speaking.

"And we wouldn't have ended up on that fraggin' planet!"

She nodded again.

"And we wouldn't have met up with that fraggin' bastard!'

She kept her silence.

"And you wouldn't have been fraggin' kidnapped and tortured! Which was your own fault by the way, not mine."

She bit her tongue, hard.

"And we wouldn't be stuck with that fraggin' kid!"

"Hey," she glanced at Guun's cabin door, and then turned on him angrily, "he's gone through a lot, and dealt with it better than a man twice his age. Cut him some slack."

O'Connell clamped his jaws tightly and begrudgingly added, "Yeah. Okay. The kid's got guts, I'll give him that."

"And he got you to me and then got us out. He has skills, he's not useless," she said, annoyed at O'Connell's harsh judgment of the boy.

"True." O'Connell shrugged and then added, "But he was in his element there, babe. He knew the land, the people. What happens now? We took him out of it. He won't know squat, he's gonna be lost. He'll be a liability," O'Connell said, his voice dropping to a whisper as he saw the growing concern on her face.

"And Marcus is still after us. And I still have to get to Ling." Ashe put her mug on the galley table, leaning against it for support, a rush of exhaustion overwhelming her. "What have I done to the poor kid?"

O'Connell set his mug next to hers, and then placing a hand on either side of her body, leaned against her. Her expression made him instantly regret his words. "We did what we had to do. We couldn't leave him in the forest. We didn't have time to get him back to town." He let his forehead touch hers, his body lightly pressing against her. He hated seeing her like this, exhausted, overwhelmed, afraid.

Her sigh had been almost imperceptible.

"And he's a smart kid. Certainly picks things up fast. He'll probably… be… ok…" O'Connell tried to find reassuring words and failed.

Ashe couldn't help but giggle. He was such an _ass_ sometimes, even when he was trying hard not to be. She reached up and ran a hand through his hair. The feel of him pressed against her, the sound of his voice, the warmth of his breath, she drank them all in. She could feel strength returning to her and smiled. He had always had that effect on her. Even at the beginning, when she had fought it tooth and nail. It hadn't been hard when he was off boffing Priestess'. It had been easy to keep him and his effect on her at arm's length. But once they had been together, once she had allowed his hands and mouth to work their magic on her, she had been lost.

She stirred against him, listening to her body as it suggested they take advantage of that strength right now. She glanced at him, eyes half shut, lips half open, a soft sigh escaping her. She knew what he did to her and she wanted him to do it right now.

"Babe?" O'Connell whispered, surprised. However he was not a man who hesitated to act. His mouth claimed hers, his body crushing the breath from her. She arched her back, grabbing onto him, pressing herself against him, feeling his growing need for her. And suddenly there were far too many layers of clothing separating their flesh, and their hands flew to latches and hooks, tearing each other's clothes off. His mouth was on hers, on her neck, her shoulders, her breasts, leaving trails of fire where he passed. Then suddenly he was lifting her in his arms and carrying her towards his cabin.

"What?" she protested, slightly incoherent.

"I'm not taking you on the galley table, woman. I'd never be able to focus on a meal again," O'Connell grunted, as the cabin door opened. He stepped inside and tossed her onto his bed. She lay there half naked, slightly stunned, and laughed at him.

He had stood over her, letting his gaze move slowly over her, drinking in the sight of her naked chest rising and falling, the curve of her hips, the soft white of her skin glowing in the cabin light.

"You're looking at me as if I were dinner," she smiled coyly.

He caught her eyes with his and then slowly dropped his pants to the floor. She couldn't contain the ravenous sigh that escaped her at the sight of his need for her. He moved over her, his hand on the edge of her pants, slowly nudging them off. "Well… I do intend to eat every inch of your body."

She growled in anticipation. Then a frustrating thought occurred to her. "Is the MorBui ok? Do we have time?" Damn logic.

His reply was muffled as he buried his mouth against her stomach. "We have time. Besides," he murmured as he worked his way lower, "right now, as far as I'm concerned, the ship can fraggin' crash."

As his mouth had found just the right spot, her gasp suggested she completely agreed.

Her thoughts raced back to the present and she glanced across the space between them, the taste of him fresh in her mind and wondered if they had time for a little fun. The suggestion must have been written on her face because when he glanced at her he smiled that mischievous smile that made her knees weak.

"Don't distract me woman,' he groaned. "The Xatra port isn't easy. I'm not sure I could give you my complete attention."

"Hmmm…" she sighed, "you're right. Probably not worth it then."

His laugh was low and devilish. "Ah, and now she throws down the gauntlet." He turned to her, his voice low and passionate, "Now I have to prove to you…"

"Hey guys," Maluk interrupted.

O'Connell growled and returned his attention to the console mumbling softly, "Sooner rather than later, sooner rather than later."

Ashe chuckled at his frustration, and then turned to Maluk. "How are you doing, hon? Feel like eating today?"

"Yeah!" He nodded enthusiastically. "I'm starved!"

"Let's go find you something then," she turned to O'Connell, "all set here?"

O'Connell's reply was already distracted. "Yup. Sure."

Grinning she motioned Maluk to head toward the galley ahead of her. "So what do you feel like? I think we have some protein bars, grains, some dried fruit."

Maluk stuck out his tongue. "I miss Gynni's cooking. She made the best porridge. And sweet toast… and biscuits and…" his voice trailed off.

Ashe reached out and tousled his hair. "Do you miss home?"

Maluk took a seat at the galley table, his head bowed. His reply was barely audible. "I'm not a baby."

Ashe grabbed some grains and a container of juice from the kitchen and set them in front of Maluk. She took the seat opposite him, encouraging him to eat, not taken in by his denial. "We will try to get you home again, M, I promise. I just don't know how soon that might be."

Maluk nodded as he guzzled the juice. "I know. You have to get that stone to the Ling guy. _Save the Universe_. I get it."

Ashe watched the boy eat. His hair was so long that his dark blonde curls almost covered his eyes. He hid behind those curls, keeping people at bay. She knew the technique. Understood how useful it could be in his profession. In fact she had used it herself for a time.

Though she didn't ask Maluk his age, as she was fairly certain he didn't know it himself, she would hazard a guess she hadn't been much older than he was now, the first time Master Ling had made himself known to her. Young as she was, she had already proven herself and been accepted into the society. She had a place, a Patriarch, a family. True, much like Maluk, she was a thief, and a spy, but within her organization she had prestige. She had been the youngest ever accepted, if not the most gifted. Murphy had had that distinction.

It had been a dark night. One filled with the endless rain Orania was famous for. That had suited her, the patter of rain covering the sound of her footsteps, the water washing away any trace of her passing. The hardest part was not dripping on a mark's floor.

The night Master Ling appeared she had been on a rather difficult pinch. The broach from a noble woman, envied by another. It wasn't the pinch that had given her trouble, it was the boarhounds. Tough, nasty brutes that could smell trouble coming a click away. She had outsmarted them though; pepper had a nasty effect on a boarhound's senses. The broach itself had practically jumped into her hands, the noble woman a deep sleeper and rather nasty snorer if she remembered correctly. Master Ling had been waiting for her outside the estate. How he had known where she would emerge she could not say, but he had stepped from the shadows like a ghost. Caught off guard she had almost bolted into the darkness, but he held up his hand and offered her the society's greeting and she paused, curious. Then Murphy had stepped from the shadows and her heart raced. Murphy was already like a god to her and she could not imagine why he and this stranger were waiting for her.

Ling had introduced himself and suggested that she follow him and Murphy to a slightly less conspicuous location. And she had followed, half out of reverence for Murphy, the other half curiosity. When they found a secluded spot Ling had begun a fantastic story about a great evil, its mighty armies and how these armies would one day threaten the universe and how a special stone could prevent the end of all life. How she and Murphy might be called upon one day to find this stone. Find it and bring it to him.

She had been reluctant to believe this elderly stranger's tales, but Murphy had been enraptured. Looking back she realized the idea of his being vital to saving the universe appealed to his ego, however she had simply decided if Murphy believed, then so must she.

Even so, she had trouble imagining she could play a part in something so monumental. It was easy to believe of Murphy, everyone, even Murphy, was certain he was destined for greatness. She was just a ten year old thief with some amount of skill and an unnatural amount of luck.

Ling had visited them twice more before Murphy was taken. After that she had seen him only once. His sorrow at loosing Murphy had been sincere. She had promised him she would be ready if he needed her, but the years had passed without a word. Then two years ago he had contacted her, told her where the stone was, and that it was time to retrieve it and bring it to him.

That directive had led her to Guun, who had then led her to O'Connell, the stone, Maluk and Marcus. The thought of Marcus made her tense for a moment. Again the question arose, how had Marcus known about the stone and how had he known she had it?

O'Connell's accusations against Master Ling came unbidden to her. _"Who paid you to take it from me, Ashe? My guess is either K'rier has been after this thing for some time, and finally got the drop on it by cornering your employer, or you were double crossed."_

She understood why O'Connell might believe Ling would betray her, however he was wrong. He had never met Ling and so couldn't be expected to understand. Hundreds of theories as to how Marcus knew had raced through her mind, with only one making any sense. There were _others_. Master Ling had contact others besides Murphy and herself. Though she had never thought about it before, it made sense that Ling had assembled other teams. Youth or hubris had made her assume it was only the two of them. But why not? If she had been tasked with saving the universe, she'd have had a backup plan too.

The loss of Murphy was a perfect example of the need for more than one team. But how had Marcus known about _her_? Had he worked with Ling and betrayed him? Was he working for the 'great evil' that Ling had never named? Was he one of those chosen to find the stone? And if so, why had he kidnapped her? And why was he following her and not the stone?

Maluk's loud slurping sounds broke through her reverie. He licked the bottom of the bowl, sighing contentedly. She reached over and tousled his hair. He pulled away and the look he gave her suggested she not do that again.

"Full?"

Maluk nodded.

"Ashe," O'Connell's voice came over the comlink.

"Yeah?"

"Can you come up here? I need some of your magic."

"On my way." She gestured to Maluk's bowl. "Do your dishes."

Maluk groaned. "Awwe…"

She headed toward the bridge, trying hard not to laugh. Dropping into the seat next to O'Connell she took over the communications network. "Trouble?"

O'Connell nodded. "An ass of a grunt wants specs and layout. You know I hate grunts."

Ashe grinned, knowing full well how much O'Connell hated authority of any kind. "On it."

"Uh… and you're the captain."

Ashe raised an eyebrow. "Really? He did get under your skin."

"Like a tick," he grunted. "Just do what you do," he motioned to the consol. "Make him love you."

She laughed at that, and then pressed a button on the console. "This is Captain Leilanna." She tried hard to remember V's inflections. "To whom am I speaking?"

There was a slight hesitation before his reply. "Assistant Corporal Millan… m'am." It sounded as if he cleared his throat then continued. "I'm required to file a report on your specs, the ships lay-out and reason for arrival."

"Of course, Assistant Corporal Millan. I shall be happy to acquiesce." She began to issue a generic layout and spec outline. "If I may, Assistant Corporal, why all the fuss? The girls and I have landed here many times, and never had issue. Is something amiss? Should we perhaps continue on to Talusia or Garthan'ia? I certainly do not wish to put my girls in any danger."

"Girls, m'am?" Assistant Corporal Millan's tone had suddenly changed. "Are you…" he hesitated, searching for the polite term.

"Companions, sir. Yes." Ashe's tone was at once intimate and sensuous.

"Oh… I… didn't… are you here for the… the Commander's party?" he asked, almost stumbling over the words.

"Why yes." Ashe was amazed at her luck. "Weren't you informed?

"Oh no, m'am. The Commander didn't say. I didn't… Girls you say?"

"Yes, Assistant Corporal. My lovely, talented girls."

She could hear him clear his throat again. "I'll send you the clearance for bay 12, m'am. It's a bit out of the way, but more… private."

"Oh you are a dear. Will you be at the party, Assistant Corporal? I am sure the girls would like to thank you, in person." Out of the corner of her eye she saw O'Connell shaking his head.

"Uhm… no… no, m'am. I'll be working," his said, his tone filled with regret.

"Then we shall have to search you out, Assistant Corporal, and thank you for your kindness."

She could almost hear his exalted cry. "Yes m'am! Tower 11! I'll be here all night!"

"I look forward to seeing you then, Assistant Corporal." She cut off their link and turned to O'Connell.

"That was cruel." He chuckled as he keyed in their clearance code. "Very, very cruel. You have no idea what you've done to that poor bastard."

She shrugged. "Maybe I'll send him a working girl to make up for it."

O'Connell snorted. "Not the same as a Companion and you know it."

She shrugged again. "In any case we have a secluded docking bay and we know the Commander is having a party. Not bad for less than a five minute conversation."

"No. Not bad at all." O'Connell agreed.

They sat in silence as O'Connell maneuvered the ship's landing. The Assistant Corporal hadn't exaggerated, the bay was secluded, only two other berths in the zone and both of those were empty.

"All right." O'Connell stood, pointing his finger at her. "You stay here; keep an eye on the kid, while I look around."

"What?" Ashe's tone was incredulous. "You're not serious?"

O'Connell straightened his shoulders, trying to look as intimidating as possible. "Damn straight! You're the one he's after Ashe; I'm not letting you go traipsing around Vesta. You're safer here."

"What…where do you…" her voice trailed off, her disbelief obvious. "How did you come up with this brilliant plan? What are you going to do, tie me up? Shove me behind the storage room force field?" She blanched as his eyes widened at the thought. "Forget it. I'd break out in two minutes and you know it." She sighed, and stood placing her hands on his chest. "I love that you want to protect me, babe. But you know I will be safer out there, on those streets, than I will be locked away in here. I'm a sitting duck in here! Besides, if I'm here and you're out there, how will you keep your eye on me?"

O'Connell grunted and then shrugged. "I took a shot."

She pulled her hands away and hit him. "Ass."

"Well, that much you got right." O'Connell grinned, and then jerked his head in the direction of the galley. "What about the kid?"

Sighing, it was her turn to shrug. "Take him with us. He's got street skills. Might be more tech here than he's used to, but let's face it, human nature doesn't change. No matter what planet we're on. He'll be fine."

"Yes!" Maluk stepped into the bridge, his face glowing. "This is my first planet! Well, other than mine that is. Where are we goin'? What are we doin'? Are there people? Are there aliens? Like Dercapods? Or Cranialopois? I heard Cranialopois 'ave 'uuuugge 'eads…" Maluk drew out the word while extending his hands from both sides of ears.

Ashe chuckled, but O'Connell was less enthusiastic. "You will listen to what I say, kid. I can't be worrying about you and protecting Ashe at the same time."

"Got it." Maluk nodded excitedly.

"I'm not kidding, kid. If I have to choose between you and her, it's gonna be her!" O'Connell had trouble focusing on his annoyance while Maluk's head bobbed up and down. He wondered if the kid's brains could survive the damage.

"I got it! I got it! Ashe lives, I die! I'm all good!"

O'Connell turned to Ashe, not able to hide his grin. "He's all good."

Ashe shook her head. "You're both crazy."

They secured the MorBui and after placing their recharged weapons back in their holsters, headed out into the docking bay. There had been a very short discussion between O'Connell and Maluk about his possibly carrying a weapon, however Maluk capitulated quickly. He was too excited about being able to investigate the city; he was not going to jeopardize that by fighting for a gun. Besides, it was amazing what one could 'pick up' when one worked his way through a city.

The smell of propulsion vapors stung their noses after the clean air of Veronus 3. 'Still,' O'Connell thought, 'I've missed that smell.' A docking bay wasn't space, but it was as close to home as he'd ever felt out of the stars.

Ashe glanced around the bay. Not much activity around them, a few androids striding purposefully toward an unknown destination. Otherwise the dock was empty. Nothing that screamed set-up. She had to admit; knowing Marcus was after her was beginning to make her feel a little tense. She wondered which direction they should head in.

O'Connell chose a direction in typical O'Connell fashion. He simply began to stride aggressively toward an exit. "So tell me again why you think Burke is still here?" Ashe stepped quickly to keep up.

"Because he's Burke."

"Ok. I've only met the man once. I remember a year ago he seemed… intent on building something here. He had the tavern, right? But I don't remember him having a ship." She did remember feeling uncomfortable around the man. Not that he had done or said anything overtly aggressive, it was this feeling that there was more. More to what he was, or what he was doing, than he was letting on to O'Connell and it had made her concerned for him.

"He might be able to help us get a message to your Master Ling without Marcus knowing." He stopped short and she over shoot him by a few steps. "As for the ship, if he doesn't have one, he will sure as hell know where we can… borrow one."

She shrugged and smiled. "We can do that."

O'Connell sighed and continued forward. "I hate the thought of leaving the MorBui here."

"Me too. I keep thinking if we could alter our transponder, or maybe if I change the hydrogen particle mixture..."

"Take too long, babe. And it would still be a crap shoot. Using another ship is our best bet. I just hope he still has something as good as the MorCai. Damn that ship was fine."

Ashe shot a glance at Maluk while trying to keep pace with O'Connell's strides. "I don't remember you talking much about your time with Burke. Did you serve together?"

"Yup."

Ashe sighed. Even at his most relaxed O'Connell's conversations about his time in the USF were abrupt. "Was he with you in the Draco sector wars?"

"Yup."

She paused before asking her next question. "Do you trust him?"

O'Connell's stride didn't falter. "Yup."

Ashe shrugged. If O'Connell trusted the man… well then she didn't have much choice in the matter. Still, she had every intention of keeping her eye on him. Something about him just didn't seem… straightforward.

The exit emptied into a large area filled with store fronts and stalls, and for a moment, they paused, startled by the complete silence that greeted them.

The immediate vicinity of any dock or space port was usually filled to the brim with commerce. She had spent time on many different worlds and gotten to know hundreds of markets. They all had one thing in common, chaos. It was the market's lifeblood. Markets were colorful, noisy, smelly and deliciously chaotic, and they hypnotized you into parting with your money.

Ashe remembered these stalls as they were a year ago. The colorful, familiar shops had filled the square. Their noise and scent titillating the senses, making her taste buds dance. At that time there were a few stalls manned by androids, interspersed among the shops. The android stalls were sterile, almost lifeless, and had clashed with the raucous life of the human stalls. It had unnerved her then.

Now the market was colorless, voiceless… silent. Android merchants filled every stall, android shoppers lined the street. There were no vendor cries of specials to lure you in, no smell of roasting meat, no flash of silk or color to entice the eye, no laughter, no life. The androids stood behind their counters, silently waiting for android shoppers to purchase the goods they needed. The market was organized to perfection and the point of desolation.

"O'Connell…"

"Yup. What the hell?" He moved forward, glancing down the streets, crowded with silver skinned imitations of the human form. The buildings rose high above them and were constructed of a mix of glass and metal which produced a curious glittering affect that made Vesta glisten in the sun. "Not a single fraggin' human in sight."

Ashe turned to the north, where the city seemed to rise in the air as it followed the natural mountainous terrain. The buildings there caught and held the sun's light and glowed brightly. "Still beautiful though."

O'Connell began moving through the market, his stride purposeful. "I'd like to know what the hell's going on here."

As they moved through the crowded, yet quiet, square Ashe glanced at the goods offered by the local hawkers. She was not surprised at the amount of tech available. After all Xatra was known for its high-end tech. What had intrigued her a year ago and concerned her now was its android population.

Along with its tech, the planet was famous for its superior android construction. In fact the economy was based on android labor. Xatra was metal rich, a dense planet with vast stores of wealth buried beneath the rock and sand. The androids were originally designed to mine the darkest recesses of Xatra's core. They were viewed as sophisticated machines, however not human and therefore disposable.

As the technology progressed, androids began to be used extensively in the manufacturing, retail and common workforce. If she remembered correctly it was almost impossible to find a piece of bread, a bolt of cloth or new weapon that had not been at least partially generated by android hands. It had intrigued her at the time. Now it seemed android laborers were performing even the simplest human function. Where were the people?

"Ashe," Maluk asked softly, echoing her concern. "Where are the people?" His hands had uncharacteristically stayed by his side as they passed through the stalls, the steely gaze of the android clerks unnerving him.

They had worked their way through the market and a short way down the central street, when O'Connell said, "In here." He motioned to a sign that hung over a darkened door. Swaying in the gentle breeze, the image of a large woman, a pint resting preciously between her breasts greeted them. "Welcome to the Hefty Brew."

Ashe shook her head and laughed, the site of something so human filling her with relief. "Why are all your friends found in bars, O'Connell?"

He grinned at her. "Best place to be, babe! Women, liquor, games… what else does a man need? Well, 'cept the MorBui." He pulled open the door and the smell of stale beer and vomit overwhelmed them. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Ah! Paradise!"

Maluk and Ashe exchanged glances, and then cautiously followed him into the bar.

The place was dimly lit. Smoke filled the air, pierced only by the dim light of small candles set on a few tables. The bar itself lined one wall, its mirrored back trying to reflect the dim light outward, and failing miserably. Booths lined the wall opposite. In the center were four or five round tables. The bar was filled with humans and she felt Maluk sigh. This place at least he understood. She followed O'Connell up to the bar, Maluk still close by her side.

O'Connell nodded to the bartender. The man leaned against the bar, towel over his shoulder, listening intently to the blonde man seated before him. His dark eyes took in O'Connell and Ashe without expression, changing only slightly as he saw the top of Maluk's blonde head over the bartop. He nodded toward the back and O'Connell moved in that direction.

They found Burke seated in a darkened corner. Ashe remembered the man from his erect posture and no nonsense manner. It occurred to her that Burke may have left the military, but it was still part of him, it was in his blood.

He was clean shaven, if a bit disheveled and she remembered his dark grey eyes. Those eyes turned to O'Connell first in annoyance and then recognition and welcome. His smile was genuine as he stood and pulled O'Connell into a firm embrace.

"Damn it's good to see you, boy!" Burke grinned as he gestured for them to take a seat at the booth he occupied. "Good to see you too… Ashe was it?" She nodded, impressed that he remembered. "Well what the hell brings you two…" he glanced at Maluk and only a slight raise of an eyebrow gave away his surprise, "three to this godforsaken hole?"

"I need your help."

"I assumed that much, boy. I may have aged since we served, but I have not become senile." Burke gestured to a dark haired woman nearby. She appeared moments later with three pints and a small glass of what Ashe could only describe as blue water for Maluk.

O'Connell continued. "Yes sir. We need to get an untraceable message to Ashram."

Burke grew still. "Acknowledged. And?"

"I need a ship."

Burke took a moment to digest this information. Ashe watched his face and was amazed at how stoic it was. Not a flicker of what must be running through is mind showed on his face. Perhaps that was what bothered her so much. Years of military training had created a shell that made the man difficult to read. O'Connell had had that same training, but she could read him like a book. His feelings were usually written all over his face. But Burke held everything in check. It was disconcerting.

"I have the MorCai. She's not in the best repair. And she was never the MorBui. You didn't lose the MorBui did you?" Burke's tone demanded an answer.

"No sir. She's fine. Have her docked in bay 12." Ashe marveled at how quickly O'Connell became subordinate to this man. She again felt irritated.

"Good. Good." Burke nodded. "She's a fine ship, boy. You will not be careless with her."

"No sir. However… we may have to leave her here for a while. We have caught the attention of a man we need to avoid for a bit. I thought I might leave the MorBui here, and with your permission, borrow the MorCai to continue on our mission."

"Mission, eh? He's pursuing you?" When O'Connell nodded he continued, his tone accusatory. "Why haven't you lost him yet?"

O'Connell shrugged. "I've tried. He seems to have an unnatural ability to trace either the ship or…" he glanced at Ashe, "its cargo."

Burke leaned back, his face half hidden in the booth's dim light. "Then why not simply kill him."

Ashe took a long drink of her pint, hiding her expression. She had thought about killing Marcus, but only when she had thought about him hurting Master Ling. To kill him outright, simply to stop his pursuit of her was something she found distasteful. She was a thief, not an assassin or a soldier.

"Unknown repercussions, sir."

Burke seemed to weigh O'Connell's response. "Accepted." He played with the pint before him for a moment, turning it in circles. As if contemplating something that never showed on his face.

"Will you be heading to Ashram with the MorCai?"

Ashe could read the confusion on O'Connell's face, however his voice reflected none of it when he said, "Yes sir."

Burke's hand paused for a moment, he grew so still that only a sharply drawn breath indicated he was alive, and then he continued. "The MorCai is docked at Paradi. A small settlement twenty clicks from here. However, for the price of my ship, I ask you do me a small favor."

"Favor sir?" O'Connell's surprise was evident.

"Yes. I need you to take something... with you… off world. It is valuable and you will need to keep it safe. Deliver it to Ashram. To the holy city."

O'Connell's eye's narrowed. "Deliver a package, sir?"

Burke grinned. "In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Threat level?"

Burke leaned forward, his expression intense. Ashe decided she liked his stoic expression better. No wonder O'Connell seemed to sit straighter when he was near the man. The intensity of his gaze almost burnt her skin and he wasn't even looking at her!

"High, son. However you are an unknown. You presence may tip the balance in my favor."

"Understood, sir," O'Connell's reply was curt.

Burke stood. "Come. Let's get out of here before too many eyes see us together. The less you're connected to me the better. Besides," he motioned to a door partially hidden in the back of the bar, "We need to send your message and I should show you the… package."

They stood and worked their way toward the back exit. Ashe followed O'Connell's erect form, wondering what the hell they had agreed to carry for Burke, why he couldn't do it himself and if the delivery might cost them more than they were willing to pay.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Guun paused as V let out another sigh. "What now?" he grunted.

"I do not understand why you are attempting to modulate my hydrogen mix. My velocity is within acceptable parameters."

If you asked him, Guun would have sworn V sounded irritated. "You know we almost caught you on our last run and that was in the MorBui! With the kind of technology that K'rier seems to have at his command, I'm hoping to give us an edge if it comes to a run."

"O'Connell has confirmed that Captain Ashe is the one being pursued, not us. Hence your motivation for risking this adjustment is unwarranted."

Guun growled at the loose bolt. He had almost formed a terse reply when his comlink buzzed. "Saved by the bell," he mumbled. He pulled the comlink from his sleeve pocket and hit the button. "What's up, coach?"

O'Connell's voice crackled over the link. "We've met up with General Burke. He has agreed to the loan. The MorCai is located about twenty clicks from here. I'll contact you with coordinates when we reach the ship."

"Aye Captain." Guun paused for a moment, his tone serious. "I hate leaving her here."

"I know. But we're out of time. The General will watch over her."

"Hmmph," Guun grunted. "If he's anything like he used to be, he'll probably start a war just so he can take her into battle to see what she's got!"

O'Connell felt fear grip his gut for a moment. "Not funny, Guun."

"I know, Captain. I know. Check back when you've got the rendezvous. Guun out." Guun lay still under the hydrogen containment for a moment, his mind on the MorBui. He and that ship had been through a lot together. He prayed she'd come to no harm.

"What are you thinking, Guun?" V's question echoed through the engine room, startling him.

"Nothin', hon. Just thinking." He resumed his attack on the bolt.

"But your heart rate slowed, your breathing decreased. You were… what do you call it? Thoughtful? What were you thinking of?"

Guun sighed. "The MorBui, doll. She's a good ship and we're leaving her behind. I may understand why, but I don't have to like it."

"You have feelings... for this ship? She is important to you?"

Guun laughed. "Hell yea. She and I have been through a lot together. We've out run and out fought a lot of idiots in our time. She's always held together for me, always gave me more than I should have asked her for. Never complained, never gave up. She's a damn fine ship."

"Oh… I understand." V's volume decreased.

Guun returned his attention to the other bolts surrounding the casing. He had increased the hydrogen mixture volume by a half percent. It was a little risky, he was pushing the envelope on the casing's structural integrity, but he felt the risk was worth it. The additional power available with even that slight a differential could mean the difference if they had to run from that bastard.

"K. That's that. Can you run a diagnostic, V? I just want to check the coolant levels." Guun waited a moment, but there was no response. "V?" He climbed out from under the containment tank, his tone curious. "V? What's going on?" His question was met with only silence.

He moved toward the companel. It was silly to think the unit would make a difference. V controlled communications throughout the ship, a companel to talk to her was as unnecessary as a comlink to talk to someone standing next to you. Still, he hit a button and said angrily, "V, where the hell are you?"

There was a moment of silence before she replied, "What can I do for you, Chief Engineer?"

Guun glared at the companel, not noticing the change in her tone. "What the hell, V? Where were you?"

"As you are aware, Chief Engineer, I am unable to leave the ship. Therefore you will need to more clearly define the intent of your question, if you wish for an accurate response."

Guun stared at the panel, confused. "What the hell are you talking about? Why didn't you answer me?"

Another moment passed before she answered. "I was… thinking."

Guun glanced around him, wondering if someone was playing a joke on him. "What the hell? You were _thinking_?"

"I am capable of independent thought, Chief Engineer." This time Guun did not miss the name or the veneer of ice in her tone.

"I'm sorry…" he paused for a moment; completely out of his depth. His mind registered her anger, but he had no idea how to respond to her. She sounded like Ashe when O'Connell behaved like an ass. But V wasn't alive, she wasn't human. How the hell could he have hurt her feelings? How the hell did she _have_ feelings?

"I'm sorry, V. Are you… mad at me? Did I say something that hurt you?" He leaned against the panel, trying to wrap his mind around her emotional response. Dealing with women was O'Connell's strong point not his. He only dealt with women made of metal and wires, phase adapters and hydrogen seals. Real women, live women, just confused the hell out of him. _'Holy crap,'_ he thought. _'Did I just compare V to a live woman?'_

There was a short pause before her reply. "Apology accepted."

Confused as he was, Guun still sighed in relief. If V decided she didn't want to 'talk' to him, well… that would make their working partnership very difficult. Besides, he would miss working with her, her constant questions and insights, her compulsive interest in everything human; and he had to admit to himself, the sound of her voice. Still, even knowing he was out of his element, he couldn't help himself, he had to ask.

"So… what were you thinking about, hon?"

V sighed, the sound still made Guun's knees weak. "I am trying to calculate the… no… _make sense_ of something, my Guun. Logically, I must acknowledge your attachment to the MorBui. You and she served together for years before we… met? Is that the correct word? I am… I… feel compelled to advise you, even though every microprocessor in my matrix triggers a negative response, that if you feel your relationship with the MorBui is superior to our own, you should take the artifact and use this time to rejoin her and leave me here on Xatra."

Guun stood in stunned silence. What the hell was she doing?

"I understand your years with… her," he would have sworn he heard anger and sadness in her tone, "has most likely created in you a symbiotic relationship that I may not be able to provide. This understanding may make a difference in the days ahead. I will not have you cease simply because I did not wish for your departure from me."

"Whoa! Wait up there woman!" Guun raised his hands to stop her. "I'm not goin' anywhere. Yea the MorBui is a fine ship, but damn it, girl," he shook his head, "she's just a ship! You are… well… you and I are… it's different with us." Guun leaned against the wall, completely out of his depth and overwhelmed by the rush of affection he suddenly felt. "You and I, we're a team, babe! The MorBui's not… real, not alive, not like you. We're partners, you and I. Nothing compares to what we've got! The MorBui is great, but she's got nothin' on you, babe."

The lights in the engine room blazed so brightly Guun had to cover his eyes. Then V's voice echoed around him, her tone both warm and sensual. "I am pleased, my Guun."

Guun shook his head, his declaration surprising even himself. This AI was obviously more a part of him than he realized. _'AI, huh'_ he thought. She was more real to him than any woman he had ever met. He knew it was strange but, the relationship he had with V, a brilliant, sensual disembodied voice, was the closest thing he had ever had to a female partner. Well, except for Ashe. He grunted and pushed the wall and those thoughts away from him.

"Well, now that your happy, darlin', can you run a diagnostic on the hydrogen casing for me?"

"Immediately, my Guun."

He waited while she ran her systems check. After a few moments, he began pacing around the room frustrated. When he was working, his focus on the task at hand, simply speaking out loud to her seemed natural. But when he stood here with nothing to do, the thought of just chatting with thin air bothered him.

"V…" he knew she could run her diagnostic and talk with him simultaneously, her capabilities far superior to his own.

"Yes?"

"What would you say to us getting you a holoprogram?"

He let a moment pass with no response. "V?"

"I am processing… thinking."

"It's not a big deal, hon. It's just that sometimes I'd like to see you when I talk to you. It's a human thing I guess. I want something to focus on when we're not working." He gestured into the air and growled. "Like right now. I wish I had a face I could turn to. A focal point, if that makes it easier."

"I understand, my Guun," she said, her tone suggesting she was still thinking. "I was accessing my data banks for information on holographic displays. After evaluating their effectiveness, I agree. I believe a holoprogram will increase the integrity of our communications."

"That's what I was thinking." Guun tried to keep the smile from his face. "Ok then, its settled. Next chance we get we grab a holoprogram. And you get a body to go with that voice."

"I find this development intriguing, my Guun," she almost purred her response.

Guun shook his head. If her body was anything like her voice, how the hell would he get any work done?


	13. Chapter 13

**AAHH! Have you ever had a chapter that _would not work_? This chapter has given me ulcers! Any feedback is appreciated... as at this moment I want to kill Marcus myself for being so difficult!**

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Chapter Thirteen

"Of course, Commander." Marcus bowed his head slightly to the planet's chief military officer. The man was impressive, in a uniformed, brutish manner. Certainly his broad shoulders and light brown hair were attractive. Still, he was an officious bore and Marcus hated officious bores. However the Commander's android army was quite impressive and for that reason, Marcus smiled in obsequious graciousness.

He glanced at the crowd gathered for the Commander's party. The grand hall of Vesta's capital building was covered in gladiola and primrose, banners that screamed 'Congratulations' hung from the balconies, tables filled with the most costly treats circled the room.

He turned his back to the rest of the party's guests, choosing instead to stare out an enormous portal where he could clearly see the legion of android soldiers on the ground, a hundred meters below. The metal constructs stood completely still, statues, awaiting commands. They needed neither food nor water; they had no mind or will of their own. They were perfect and Marcus could feel himself hardening in hunger for them.

Yseult turned to the commander and smiled. "Why Commander, the size of your army is quite… impressive."

"Thank you, m'am. And please, call me Gavin." He returned her smile, using every bit of his military training to look at her face and not the expansive amount of cleavage her dress offered. "We have thousands of legions scattered across the planet, with the heavier concentrations surrounding our capitals. We safe guard our larger cities, of course. Must guarantee the safety of our leaders and commerce no matter what occurs."

"Of course, Gavin. Quite wise." Yseult nodded. "Trade is a planet's lifeblood. Never mind a governing body's tax base!" She allowed a small laugh to escape her lips and winked at him conspiratorially.

He grinned back. "Absolutely, m'am. That's the nail on the head there, isn't it?"

"Please, Gavin, call me Yseult."

His responding grin almost split his face in two. "I would be honored, Yseult."

She could hear Marcus' low groan, but she didn't care. She knew he wanted her to make nice with the commander, in case they needed him or his impressive army. The ease with which she did so should not annoy him. Besides, the fact was she actually liked this man. He was a bit stuffy, with a little extra meat on his two meter frame. But his eyes were kind, and he looked at her as if he had never seen anything so beautiful in his life. Though she knew herself well enough to recognize adoration bored her rather quickly, she had to admit it was a nice change from Marcus' constant ridicule.

She placed her hand on his arm, hoping the gesture annoyed Marcus even further. "You say there are thousands of these legions? Are they all manufactured here, on Xatra?"

"Yes, m'am… Yseult," he said shyly. "Xatra produces over a thousand androids a month. Many of these are held for our military, however a portion are sold off world."

"Are they all built as soldiers?"

"No, not at all. The sale of military androids is tightly controlled by the planet's governors. Typically our offworld androids are programmed for the service industries." He turned from the window and gestured to the androids offering cocktails to various guests at the party. "Maids, butlers, housekeepers, gardeners. The household servant is our most popular model. They make excellent chefs and are sold with over a million recipes in their initial design. However we also offer factory workers, miners, and farmers."

"Fascinating," Yseult murmured. "Quite impressive." She watched the androids move with a certain metallic grace across the crowded room. They were dull silver in color, their bodies completely naked with no anatomical indications but for a small amount of human features. They had large dark orbs for eyes, foreheads, cheek bones, movable jaws. Just enough affectation to prevent humans from feeling uncomfortable around them, but not so much that one might form an attachment. Ingenious.

She grinned wickedly at the commander. "There seems to be an android for every purpose! But tell me, have they ever created androids for… pleasure, Gavin?"

Gavin laughed. "No, Yseult. Our economy may depend on our androids, but we still like to do some things the old fashioned way."

"Very good to know, Gavin," she murmured and smiled invitingly, wrapping her arm around his and leading him onto the dance floor.

Marcus turned his attention back to the army below him. An android army. Built to obey. He was practically salivating at the thought. A thousand a month, exported everywhere. Marcus' thoughts raced. Controlling the exportation would, if the commander's comment was correct, involve gaining control of the governors.

However, there was another option. One that would eliminate the need for the governors entirely. What if he were to create a dormant program, a virus say and insert it into the androids during construction? Marcus felt his heart race. A virus that, when activated, would allow him to control every android it had been programmed into? He felt his pulse quicken, his heart race. Possibilities.

'Well,' he regretfully dragged his focus to the present, 'that will have to wait for another day.' He still needed to find her. It would be easier if he knew where she was headed, however Ling had never told him where to take the artifact if he recovered it. Marcus had not been one of the _Chosen_ Ling had trusted.

Of course, he had tried to kill the old bastard the last time Ling had shown his face. The Master had always been judgmental about his accumulation of wealth and power. Their last visit had ended with Marcus' attempt to skewer the man with a carving blade. It had been an ill conceived effort, a completely emotional response to Master Ling's overt superiority.

This time there would be no spontaneous lunge. This time he had planned it down to the smallest detail. This time he would destroy the man utterly, before ending his life. Then he would have the artifact, the girl and the power to bargain with whatever threat Ling had spent a lifetime trying to stop. What was that expression? 'Oh yes,' Marcus laughed as he remembered, 'the enemy of mine enemy is my friend.'

He glanced across the room, noting a familiar arrogance and disdain in the commander's guests. The people in this room were the power on this planet. Or so they believed. The wealthy, the elected officials, the military and the religious elite. All so pompous in their superiority. "Idiots and fools," he murmured, his eyes filled with contempt as he turned his back to them and gazed again at the androids outside.

A gentle rain had begun, falling softly on the androids below. They stood motionless, unaffected. It splashed against the portal and he absentmindedly watched the droplets work their way down the glass, lost in thought.

He'd known many worlds like this. Well, without the androids perhaps, however worlds and peoples who thought themselves the center of the universe. Who spent their time fawning over each other, telling themselves how vital, how important they were, reinforcing their own blindness. Only realizing too late how vulnerable that notion left them.

In the end humans were all alike, almost as if the ancient religions were true and all human life had originated on a single planet. Certainly the genetic similarity would attest to that. But it was their constant predictability that intrigued Marcus most. There were always the bribable, the wanton, the disillusioned, the lost, the broken, the simple, the hungry, the arrogant, the lazy, the brilliant, the power hungry.

He could recognize them in a fraction of a second and he knew exactly how to manipulate them. It was a skill that he had used again and again to amass his wealth and power. He had bases on fifteen worlds, controlled governments, religions, shipping and military.

The loss of D'sai was nothing. He had much larger estates on other worlds. Veronus had been his childhood home true, but it had perhaps, held more sentimental value than it should. His thoughts drifted to D'sai and lingered for a moment on Gynni. Yes, it was for the best.

His focus now needed to be on the Chosen and his destruction of Ling. He had to admit, he did feel a small amount of concern in his inability to discover anything about the 'universal destruction' Ling had spoken of.

Years of research, his own and that of his scientists and historians had turned up nothing with the power to control or destroy the universe. Even he wasn't arrogant enough to believe any one person or power could effectively control that amount of territory. It was simply impossible. So what was it? A species? A weapon? A virus?

It was almost impossible to deduce _how_ these creatures could destroy the universe without first knowing _why_. Having no means to define what motivated the 'universal destruction', he also could not attribute certain qualities to them, such as their lifespan, their needs or desires.

All he could do was ponder how he would set about destroying a universe. A virus was the one solution that, for him, fit all the criteria. Much like his previous epiphany for the androids, if he were going to destroy or enslave such a vast area, he would attack the population first. Create a virus and have it lay dormant for years, decades even centuries. Slowly working its way from planet to planet, contaminating multiple generations of humanity. It may take a millennium to spread throughout the galaxy but it would eventually, humanity being such a gregarious species.

No amount of military intervention could prevent the spread of infection. No one would be aware of its presence until it was too late. However the real question was, would it be deadly? Or would it be more insidious, perhaps mutate humans into something… new? Or simply place all human life under this species control? Make humans the drones of another superior creature?

Marcus tapped a finger on the glass in frustration. He wanted the answers to these questions and he wanted them now! It was easy to hate Ling for having the answers and not sharing them.

'He should have taken me into his confidence rather than shut me out simply because I enjoy the accumulation of power,' Marcus fumed. Ling was arbitrary and capricious. He was punished by Ling for wanting the very thing Ling himself possessed. Power!

Ling's power was his knowledge, yet even so; Ling had hung it over his head like a tantalizing treat for a pet and then snatched it away for no viable reason.

Still, he would know. He had his men waiting at bay 12 for her return to that ship. Soon, the Chosen, the key and Ling would be his. Then he would discover what this 'destruction' was and he would decide how to deal with it. The thought of rubbing his success in Ling's face while he drew his last breathe gave Marcus comfort. He turned back toward the party, a smile on his lips as he assessed who in the room he needed to form a relationship with, in order to control this planet upon his return.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

They followed Burke through a series of tight, winding streets, always careful to stay in the shadows. O'Connell could sense the man's stress and, if possible, fear. O'Connell couldn't remember ever sensing fear before from his former commander. Whatever they were about to transport was of extreme value to Burke, and its safe keeping of great importance.

They took a left turn, moving even further into what O'Connell could only describe as the bowels of the city. The tall, metal buildings that rose above no longer glittered in the waning sunlight. This section of the city was dark, the metal caked with a black substance that O'Connell had no interest in investigating. The air was thick with dust and a sharp metallic scent that reminded him of both propulsion exhaust and burnt wiring.

One glance at Ashe confirmed his impressions. High tech and shiny as Vesta was, this side of town appeared to be were the real gritty mech assembly took place.

A sharp right brought them down an even darker street, barely wide enough for two people to travel side by side. There were no windows or lights on the buildings on either side of the street. O'Connell rested his hand on his M-9. If he didn't know better, he would have thought this a perfect place for an ambush. The street ended abruptly, nothing but a large sewer grate at the end.

Burke reached down and lifted the grate from its resting place. "Follow me," he said as he worked his way down a metal ladder and into the sewer.

O'Connell blanched, but said nothing. He glanced at Ashe and she shrugged. Back alleys, sewers, they were a second home to her. He grinned despite the smell that rose around him as he worked his way down the ladder. The girl was not squeamish, he'd give her that.

Burke continued his silence as they followed him through the sewer passages. O'Connell's patience, never his strong point, was wearing thin and as if sensing his thoughts Burke offered in a low tone, "Almost there."

O'Connell was about to growl a retort when Ashe's hand on his lower back made him pause. He glanced at her and saw the caution in her eyes. Her expression let him know she sensed it too. Burke's intensity boarded on mania. Whatever was driving him, consumed him and O'Connell wondered again what the hell he wanted them to transport.

Burke stopped abruptly and turned toward them. "Here we are."

Ashe glanced around, seeing nothing but dirty walls and a slim covered stone floor. She turned to O'Connell, curious.

O'Connell's focus was on Burke, equally curious. Burke ran his hand over the wall touching the filthy metal delicately, caressing a precious antique. His fingers paused, having found what he had been searching for.

Pressing a particularly slime encrusted spot, he grinned as a small panel popped open.

"Wow! Wicked!" Maluk whispered, clearly impressed at the deception.

Burked laughed softly and then pushed the panel aside, revealing a small scanner. He placed his hand on the scanner's face. A strip of green light raced down the length of his hand, finger tip to palm, reading every minute detail of his flesh. The door before them opened without a sound.

"Welcome to Haven," Burke said proudly and motioned for them to enter.

They stepped through the door, uncertain as to what awaited them. The sewer had been dark, grimy and nauseating, so it took a moment for their eyes to adjust to the bright light. But once they did, they paused, stunned, feeling as if they had stepped off of Xatra and onto another world.

"Holy frag!" O'Connell murmured as he stepped through the doorway onto a stone path. The path was only a couple of meters wide, to his left earth and stone rose a meter over his head then shot out, hanging over them like a roof. But to his right, the earth dropped away, revealing an immense circular opening.

Sunlight shone brilliantly from above, glistening on thick clouds of vapor as they drifted on a breeze. Birds flew across the open expanse cawing and singing as they crossed the distance to land safely on the limbs of trees that clung to the walls of the cavern. A metal fence, hip high, protected the right side of the path and O'Connell stepped toward the railing for a better look.

His grip on the railing tightened as he glanced down. He stood on the edge of a precipice, a drop so deep that he could not be certain how far it went. The opening before him had to be a half click wide. It was perfectly circular, as if an enormous drill had simply tore into the world. He could see the path continued forward in a spiral around the cavern, working its way downward until it was lost from view. Dark ivy grew on every wall; a multitude of trees clinging to the path at intervals. Thousands of blooms surrounded them, all colors and shapes, each flower filling the moist air with a sweet, musky scent.

Ashe rested her hand on the railing, at a loss for words. She had assumed they would enter a lair, perhaps a hidden base. Thieves often used underground tunnels and caves to hide from the world above. But this? Nothing could have prepared her for this.

"It's beautiful," Ashe murmured.

"Yes," Burke's tone was reverent. "It is.

"How is there so much light?" O'Connell's mind started breaking down the logistics. "Where's the source? How do you maintain plant life? What's your source of water? Why is it so warm in here?"

Burke chuckled and Ashe glanced at O'Connell, caught off guard by his reaction. She had never seen Burke grin, never mind laugh!

"Wait, wait. I'll answer all your damn questions in a minute. First, let's go find my wife. I want you to meet her."

"Your wife, sir?" O'Connell hesitated only a moment then moved to keep pace with Burke. Ashe and Maluk followed a short distance behind.

"Hell yeah. You didn't think I spent all these years alone, did you?"

"Well, I… don't think I gave it much thought, General."

"Cut that shit out, O'Connell. If my wife hears you call me that she'll never let me live it down." Burke laughed and this time Ashe found it infectious.

"Yes sir." O'Connell grinned. Archways were carved periodically into the earthen wall to their left and he glanced through the open doorways as they passed. He caught a quick glimpse of tables, chairs; even caught a few people eating a meal. The openings continued down the path before him and he wondered what this underground city's population was.

Burke sighed. "All right. Questions. Lighting. Combination of radiant and chemical energy. Long story short, we use the best of any and all possible resources we can muster. Plus my wife is a genetic genius. She's cross bred and genetically modified enough vegetation to more than compensate for the lack of natural sunlight, plus produced enough hardy vegetables to keep us all well fed."

"Quite remarkable," Ashe offered.

Burke glanced at her and smiled. "Yes, she is. She's having trouble with fruit mind you. Her apples taste like goat. But don't tell her I said so."

"No sir," O'Connell chuckled. They had made their way far enough down the path, following it as it wound around the enormous opening, that now O'Connell could barely make out where they had entered.

"Ah, here we are." Burke stepped through an open arch. "Theresa? Are you home woman?"

"Where else would I be at supper, mister?" Theresa stepped into the room carrying a bowl filled with dark green leaves. She placed the bowl on the table before them.

O'Connell's glance covered the room, taking in the table, chairs, and the painting of the Trazious nebula that hung on the far wall. The warmth and simplicity of Burke's dinning room surprised him. Then his gaze settled on Theresa herself. She stood no taller than his shoulders; her hair was black streaked with grey, but glistened in the light. Her eyes were large and dark brown and her skin had the warm caramel color of a woman more accustomed to seeing the sun, then the inside of a cavern. Her smile was gracious, her tone warm as she said, "You've brought guests, Don!"

"An old friend, my love. You remember me mentioning O'Connell?" Burke moved toward his wife, kissing her on the top of her head.

"O'Connell! Well this is an honor," she said, smiling warmly and offering her hand.

He gently took her tiny hand in his; having the oddest feeling he might crush it. "I don't know about that, m'am. It is, however, an honor to meet you."

"Oh please. Call me Theresa. I have heard so much about you, young man, I feel as if I know you. Between you and me," she leaned a little closer to him, winking conspiratorially, "my husband holds you in very high regard. But he'll never tell you that, so mum's the word!"

Burke rolled his eyes. "Theri… I swear…"

Theresa grinned. "Big grouch."

O'Connell laughed. "Yes, m'am. Sorry… Theresa."

"And who is this beauty you have beside you?" Theresa turned her smile on Ashe.

Ashe leaned forward, offering her hand. "My name is Ashe. So nice to meet you."

"And you, young lady." Theresa's gaze turned to Maluk. She reached out and placed a hand under his chin, lifting his head so she might look him in the eyes. Maluk allowed the intrusion with more patience than Ashe would have given him credit for. "And this handsome young man is your son?"

O'Connell grunted and Ashe halted his rebuttal with a hand on his back. "No, he's a good friend," Ashe explained.

Maluk glanced at Ashe and smiled. He seemed to suck in a deep breathe and stick out his chest. "Maluk, m'am."

"Ah Maluk. So wonderful to meet you. Please call me Theresa." Her smile was gentle and warm and Maluk grinned back. "I assume there are things we will need to discuss, Don?" Theresa's quick change of topic startled them.

Burke sighed. "Yes, love." He leaned toward O'Connell. "See? It's like dealing with an entire Terrain fleet of spies."

"Hmph." Theresa's eye's narrowed. "Well since I have the feeling you have something up your sleeve I won't like, let's have supper first. I always deal with your craziness better on a full stomach."

"Yes, dear." Burke motioned to O'Connell. "Let me show you some of the tech that runs Haven. It's ingenious. Remember Regulas 4? And the tech we confiscated? I've incorporated some of that technology into…" his voice trailed off as the two men disappeared down a hall toward the back of the house.

Ashe turned to Theresa. "Thank you for offering to share your meal with us. Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Oh it's almost done. Why don't you both come into the kitchen with me while I check the roast?"

The kitchen was large, a table stood in the center, the walls held cupboards filled with dishes and cookware. Ashe found herself drawn to the open oven on the right wall. It was faced with stone, with a small key pad to the right and held a chunk of delicious smelling meat rotating on a spit.

Theresa moved to her side, gesturing toward the oven. "It's geothermal."

Ashe glanced at her. "The oven?"

"Yes." Theresa nodded. She pressed a button on the panel and the meat's rotation began to slow. "All of our heat and energy begins as geothermal.

"Really?" Ashe turned back to the oven, her gaze focused on the glowing rocks beneath the turning roast. "How do you control it?"

"Years ago when we first found this place, it was obvious that the warmth was geothermal. It was simply a matter of finding the veins that run close enough to the surface to harness their energy."

"But to have this tight a control, over liquid rock, it's amazing!" Ashe murmured.

"It's been a process, certainly. We've been lucky. We have some amazing minds here at Haven."

"What's this?" Maluk had worked his way to the back of the kitchen and was holding up a white crystalline shape.

"Ah that!" Theresa grinned as she joined him. "This is my workbench," she motioned toward the table. It was filled with beakers and flasks, snips of vegetation, and two machines. One machine hummed as it swiftly spun an assortment of vials, the other blinked a dozen red lights onto what Ashe had to assume were specimen jars. "This," Theresa continued, "is my latest discovery!"

Maluk turned the pale crystalline form back and forth in his hand. "What's it do?"

"Ah! What do you think?" She watched the boy's face as he pondered the question.

"It's a lot like conductors I've seen. Does it refract light? Is it for a laser?"

Theresa grinned. "Good guess, young man! However no, it's not for a laser."

"Oh," Maluk looked crestfallen.

"How about a hint?" Theresa took the crystalline form from his hand, and snapped off a small piece. She handed the larger chunk back to Maluk. "I discovered this while I was doing photosynthesis experiments on some of my plants. The fruits to be precise."

Maluk shrugged. He didn't feel that was much of a hint.

"Photosynthesis is the way in which plant life converts the energy of the sun into life sustaining sugars."

Maluk continued to look confused.

"I was doing an experiment on fruit sugars working on sweetening the cross bred fruits I have created. My husband complains that my fruit tastes… well…"

"Like goat!" Maluk offered, and then looked sheepish as he remembered that was supposed to be a secret.

Theresa laughed. "Yes and as we know goat does not taste like fruit! Anyway, I had to leave my experiment for a few days and when I returned, this was what I found."

Maluk glanced at the crystalline form, then back at her. "But what does it do?"

Theresa laughed. "It doesn't really do anything." She held up the small piece she had taken and popped it in her mouth. "You eat it."

Maluk gave her a look that suggested she was mad. "Eat a rock? Why would I want to do that?"

Theresa laughed. "Try it! I promise you won't regret it."

Maluk glanced at Ashe. She shrugged and broke off a small piece for herself. She popped the tiny crystal into her mouth and immediately grinned. "It's so sweet! It tastes like apple… no wait, pear and plum! Oh I haven't tasted plums in so long!"

Maluk snapped off a piece and shoved it in his mouth. In a microsecond his expression changed from uncertain to enraptured. "This tastes just like one 'a G's summa' pies!"

Theresa laughed. "I'm glad you like it. Keep it. I want you to have it."

"Thank… you," Maluk stammered. He wasn't accustomed to others giving him things; he usually had to steal them.

"Well, supper's ready. Why don't you go find the men and let them know." Theresa watched the boy as he nodded and raced from the kitchen, her gaze lingering on his retreating form before she turned to Ashe. "Help me set the table?"

"Certainly," Ashe replied, watching the woman's expression. The look on her face reminded her of the look Gynni had given Maluk. Wistful, maternal. She felt a pang of guilt realizing again what their rush from Veronus 3 had cost the boy.

Dinner was a boisterous affair. O'Connell and Burke regaled them with exploits from their past and Maluk shoved more food down his throat then Ashe would have thought possible. She had to remind him twice to slow down or he would choke.

Fascinated by the stories the men shared, she found herself prodding them with questions whenever they paused. She watched O'Connell as he laughed at a story Burke told about a young ensign named Williams and she realized how little she knew of him, how little he shared of his past. She wasn't exactly an open book, to be sure, but O'Connell was extremely tight lipped about his years as a soldier and the wars he fought.

Their relationship had worked because they had always focused on the present, the next job, the next mark. Never on the past. She had been grateful for that at the time as the less she had had to lie about her reason for being onboard the MorBui the better. But suddenly the thought crossed her mind that perhaps their ignorance of each other, might end up costing them.

O'Connell glanced across the table toward her, catching her gaze. He mistook the concern on her face for the need to move forward and quickly brought Burke's story to a close. "In any case, Williams was sent home shortly after that. So no harm done."

"Yeah," Burke brushed the tears from him eyes, trying to stem his laughter. "No harm done. Except to his buttocks!"

O'Connell laughed. "Yea well… that goes without saying." He switched moods abruptly. "So, the MorCai…"

"Ah… yes," Burke sighed. "Back to the present."

Theresa stood and grabbed four glasses off a side table, filling them with a dark red liquid. "I have a feeling we might all want a drink for this conversation."

"Thank you, love." Burke raised his glass. "To serendipity, my friends."

O'Connell raised his glass, confused by Burke's toast. "To serendipity, sir."

"Start at the beginning, Don," Theresa said. "What's going through that devious mind of yours?"

Burke reached out and squeezed his wife's hand. "O'Connell needs a ship, dear. And a way to send a message to the planet Ashram. We need someone… to take her to safety."

Theresa's eyes lit up. "Take her off world you mean? Where they can't touch her?"

Burke nodded. Theresa's eyes filled with tears. "Oh Don. That would be wonderful… and… and…" she paused and suddenly found herself choking back tears.

O'Connell paused, his glass halfway to his lips. "What's going on, General? Who is _she_?" his tone held a touch of anger.

Burke turned to O'Connell, his expression one of pain and fear. "_She_ is my daughter."

"Your daughter?" O'Connell let that digest. "Your daughter is the package?"

Burke shook his head as if to clear it, then O'Connell watched as the gentleness of the past few hours vanished from his face, to be replaced by the stoic one he was so familiar with.

"The situation on Xatra is much more complicated than it appears, boy. The elitist humans in the major cities, Vesta, Corona, Parlua, Mathra, have created android armies for their workforce, their military. They have shoved all human activity to the outer reaches, the deserts and forests. There are only a handful of humans left in the major cities, and they are usually working for the elitists, or thieves and outlaws hiding in the shadows, barely surviving."

O'Connell nodded, his concerns at least confirmed. You couldn't enter the market without realizing something was wrong. The whole place had an unnatural feel to it.

Burke leaned forward, his tone and expression intense. "What you don't understand is how tensions are building. The inner city humans despise the humans in the outer regions. They have also found that after a century of progress their cities are not large enough to hold them. They want to expand, take the lands further and further from the cities for their own. The humans in these outlying areas have rejected technology at even the basic level and they are not willing to give up the land they have worked so hard to make viable. A civil war is on its way."

O'Connell glanced from Theresa to Burke, their faces filled with fear and resignation. "There is no government? No protocols for these people?"

Burke's laugh was short and harsh. "The planetary governors are elitists. They will simply annex the land surrounding their cities and then give themselves the largest cut."

"Bastards," O'Connell murmured.

"What will the people do? The ones in the surrounding towns and villages?" Ashe asked.

"They will die," Burke replied. "They have no weapons to fight the android armies that will descend upon them. They are farmers, tradesmen. They will die by the thousands. The cities will send their mechanical armies, their ships and their technology and by power and by number, they will kill the humans who resist and burn the villages to the ground. Then they will have their android workers clean up the mess and rebuild." Burke's voice was filled with disgust.

"What about here? What about this place?" O'Connell glanced at Theresa.

"We don't know. At one time this place was a complete secret to both those in the cities and the villages. But now…"

"What happened?"

Burke hesitated for a moment. "My daughter happened."

O'Connell stared at him. "What do you mean? Is she some kind of revolutionary?" He had to admit that it would be a huge cosmic joke if the General's daughter was a revolutionary.

"No. No… not like that. She… has a gift."

"A gift?" O'Connell repeated. "What kind of gift?"

Theresa laid a hand on Burke's, comforting him while she tried to explain. "When our daughter was born, she suffered massive trauma to her cerebral cortex and medulla obla…," she paused, registering O'Connell's blank stare, and decided to skip the anatomy lesson. "She suffered trauma to her brain. We thought we were going to lose her, but there was a… visitor. A scientist. A man who worked in cybernetics."

O'Connell leaned back in his chair, trying to understand where this story was heading.

"She was dying, we knew that. And there was nothing we could do to help her." She took a deep breath, focusing on her glass of wine, holding back the tears. They waited while she collected herself. "So when he offered to… offered to help her, we jumped at the chance."

"He performed surgery. On your newborn daughter?" Ashe gently prodded.

Theresa nodded. "He said he could… replace… the parts of her brain that had been destroyed. He could use his implants to act as her brain would have. They would tell her lungs to expand and contract, her heart to pump, her limbs to move. Her entire autonomic nervous system would function, as if there had been no brain damage at all."

"And it worked?"

"Yes!" Theresa nodded excitedly. "She lived, she grew. She was perfect in everyway."

Burke glanced at his wife. "Well… almost."

"Don!" She gave him an angry look.

"They need to know Theresa. She will be traveling with them and I will not send O'Connell on this mission without full disclosure."

"I…I…" Theresa shook her head, the tears she had held in check finally falling down her cheeks. "I understand."

O'Connell could feel his temper rising, but he held it in check. This was obviously difficult for them both. Burke had the ability to shut his emotions off, years of military training. Theresa did not have that skill.

"Our daughter," Burke continued, "has one… disability, for lack of a better word. We didn't even notice it until she was about six months old. Right about the time you expect responses to stimuli. Real responses. Not a grimace for pain, or a smile for gas. But a real connection. You smile at the child and the child smiles back. Make a funny face, the child laughs. There… there was nothing. No response. My daughter absorbed everything around her, but was completely unable to form a response to it."

Theresa sighed. "The easiest way to explain it is our daughter has no… personality."

O'Connell glanced at Ashe, confused. "I'm not sure I understand."

Burke shook his head. "It's not what you think. It's not as if she is extremely serious with no sense of humor or ridiculously stupid. She is brilliant and beautiful, but she is as incapable of responding to surrounding stimuli as," he lifted his spoon from the table, "as this damn spoon." With a growl he threw the spoon across the room; it slammed into the sideboard and dropped to the floor.

Maluk jumped, startled.

Burke turned to O'Connell. His tone edged with pain and asked, "Is the spoon upset right now? Is it annoyed? Did it enjoy the flight? Does it give a flying frag what I just did to it?"

"I'm sorry, sir," O'Connell murmured, Burke's obvious suffering tearing at his heart.

Burke clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to keep his anger and grief under control. "She doesn't form opinions; she does not distinguish between right and wrong. She does not love… or hate."

"Is she mistreated?" Ashe wondered aloud how the people of Haven might react to a girl who was so different.

"God good, no," Theresa said. "Those who live here have been with her as she's grown. They understand why she is the way she is and are uniformly grateful that she is here and can use her talents to better our city."

"Then… I don't understand sir," O'Connell asked, confused.

"This problem is not why you need to take her away from here. It's her talent. Her _gift_. We don't know if it was something she was born with, or if the implants created it. We don't know and Bailey left shortly after he performed the surgery so he couldn't tell us. But recently they have become aware of her and her gift. They will eventually come for her."

Ashe leaned forward. "What is her gift?"

Burke sighed. "She can speak to computers."

O'Connell frowned. "What? What are you talking about? Anyone can speak to a computer."

"No, not like you or me. I can tell a computer to perform a function which it's programmed to perform."

O'Connell shrugged. "Exactly."

"Kara doesn't do that. Kara…" Burke searched for the right words, but Theresa found them.

"Kara programs computers with her _thoughts_. If you hand her your blaster and tell her you want it to blow bubbles, she can create the appropriate code in her mind and upload it to the blaster. No terminal, no ports, no mess. Just instantaneous communication."

O'Connell stared at his former commander, incredulous.

Ashe glanced at the spoon on the table in front of her. No emotion, no opinions, no moral code for guidance. Combined with the ability to reprogram any computer? Kara would be an invaluable ally to anyone, or an unknowing dupe. She turned to Theresa. "Why Ashram?"

"If it comes to civil war… and it will, I want my daughter as far away from here as possible. The only place Don and I can think of where she will not be misused would be in the holy city of Aegis."

O'Connell nodded. Made sense. "Why send her with us? Why not take her yourself?"

Burke's face grew dark. "I have no idea how they found out about us, about Haven, about her. But now that they know, they will come. They will seek to use her or destroy her. Before Theri or I or any resident of Haven has to choose between their life or her safety, I want her off planet and safe." He turned to his wife. "Theresa and I will stay here and defend what we have built."

"General? Why?"

"Because, Captain," Burke responded angrily, "we have _built_ it!"

O'Connell sighed. "Understood, sir."

Burke shrugged. "Besides, civil war is still a ways away. They haven't yet come to look for her. They will do that first. Both sides."

"Both sides?" Ashe asked.

"Yes. The elitists because she is a danger to them, to their wealth and technology. The villagers because they will see her as a weapon to destroy their oppressors."

"And you General? You don't want your daughter to use her ability to give the human population an edge?" O'Connell waited for a response.

"When the time comes, we have had Kara create certain, programs… that will limit the role the city's android population plays in the war. But in order for Kara to upload a binary change in code, she needs to touch the object. I will not allow anyone to send my daughter into the lion's den to upload this code."

"You're going to do it yourself." O'Connell read the conviction in the set of his friend's jaw.

"Yes, O'Connell, if it comes to that." Burke squeezed his wife's hand, "I will not let them use her. She is my daughter."

O'Connell held his friend's gaze for a moment. "Understood, General."

Burke stood abruptly and motioned toward the door. "Let's head to the lower level where you can meet her. Then you will continue on to Paradi and the MorCai."

Sighing, Theresa rose more slowly from her chair. O'Connell watched her, thinking she suddenly looked as if all of her years had come crashing down on top of her. "I should get some things from her room, Don."

Burke shook his head sadly. "She will not miss them, love."

She turned tear filled eyes to his. "Of course not. I'm… I'm just being silly."

Burke pulled his wife into his arms, holding her tightly for a moment. "I suppose an image of us wouldn't hurt. That one from the trip to Parlua? You love that one."

Theresa nodded. "I'll fetch it. Give me a moment." She left the room in a rush, and they stood in silence.

O'Connell glanced at Ashe, knowing if she was in his place she would know what to say. "General, I…"

Burke stared out the doorway, across the cavern's expanse, his eyes seeing nothing. His voice was barely more than a whisper when he said, "Enough, Captain."

O'Connell glanced at the floor, then straightened his shoulders and replied, "Yes, General."

Ashe watched both men as they shoved their emotions into a place in their hearts where it could not affect what they were about to do. She felt Maluk slip his small hand in hers and knew he saw it as well. They understood it, understood the need for it, but it was a chilling sight none the less.

"I have it." Theresa held a small holodisk, an image of her, Burke and their daughter glowing on its face. Ashe glanced at the image. Kara stood in the center, bracketed by her parents. Burke and Theresa smiled broadly at her, their eyes sparkling with excitement. Kara's face held no expression at all.

"She's quite beautiful," Ashe said.

"Thank you. She is quite lovely," Theresa agreed. She moved toward the doorway and then paused, unable to step out onto the rocky path.

Burke stepped toward her and held out his hand. "Come, my love. O'Connell will keep her safe and deliver her to Ashram."

"Yes… yes. That's what we're doing. Making sure she's safe. I just didn't think… I wasn't prepared…" Theresa slowly placed her hand in his and allowed him to lead her out of the house. "My daughter will be safe. Away from here. In the holy city." She turned to O'Connell for reassurance.

He nodded. "Yes, m'am. I promise. I will keep your daughter safe and get her to the holy city."

Theresa smiled through her tears. "Thank you."

O'Connell stared down the rocky path they now followed, keeping his expression blank. He didn't like leaving the general and his wife behind. He didn't like having the safety of the general's daughter on his shoulders, not with Marcus and that damn artifact already on their plate. But his commander asked it of him and he owed this man his life a hundred times over.

He forced himself to stare at the path and not glance at Ashe. If this new mission forced him to choose, between delivering Kara to the holy city, or helping Ashe get to Ling, he wasn't sure how that might play out. How the hell was he supposed to decide which goal was more important? And if he chose to aid Kara? He knew Ashe would rush off without him to meet Ling and get herself killed. He felt a soft growl start at the back of his throat and laid his hand on his M-9, an unconsciously reassuring gesture.

'Well then, damn it,' he thought, 'I'll make damn sure I don't have to choose.'


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

It took them a while to work their way down to the base of the cavern, the path slowly winding its way along the walls. Countless birds continued to fly across the open expanse, moving from tree to tree, calling out as they went. The air was considerably warmer the deeper they went, but only slightly less moist. O'Connell had unzipped his jacket, but was still sweating profusely.

"Tropical?" Ashe glanced at him while wiping drops of perspiration from her forehead.

O'Connell nodded. "I'd say. Wasn't expecting this. Would have dressed differently," he said with a laugh.

It was a relief when they neared the end of the path and Burke led them into a side chamber.

"Her work room is in here. She's been busy trying to integrate the community's thermal furnace interface with a mechanical 'buffer' if you will, that might allow our people to vary the degree of distribution as necessary."

O'Connell followed Burke into a large, well lit room. Computers covered the walls, their lights flashing at irregular intervals; a massive table filled the center of the room. O'Connell couldn't stop the sigh that escaped him. The room was cool, the temperature and humidity more resembling the MorBui than what he had seen of Haven.

Ashe touched his arms and motioned to the vents that lined the ceiling. He could just make out the soft whisper of wind as it was pulled past the grating, more than likely being recycled and returning moisture free.

Two men were bent over a diagram that covered a portion of the table, while a dark haired female sat at a terminal across the room. Her back was to them and she seemed intent on her work. One of the men looked up, saw them and smiled.

"Hello Don, Theresa." He turned to the woman. "Kara, your parents are here."

Kara gave no indication that she heard him.

Burke moved across the room. "Kara. Your attention please."

Kara fingers stopped their movement, her spine rigid, then turned toward her father, her face expressionless. "Yes, father?"

"I need to introduce you to some guests, Kara. Please cease what you are doing and join us."

"Yes, father." Kara stood, her movements at once both graceful and wooden. It was an odd mixture.

"Kara, this is O'Connell. Do you remember me telling you stories about him?" She glanced at her father and then at O'Connell.

O'Connell estimated she was almost as tall as Ashe; her hair was black, like her mother's, her skin a shade lighter, more like Burke's, but it was her eyes that were her most compelling feature. They were violet, a deep, dusky violet that glowed in contrast to her skin. At the same time that he noticed their beauty, he also noticed their complete lack of emotion. Where he was accustomed to seeing anger, curiosity, laughter, affection, there was only a void; an emptiness that he found profoundly disturbing.

"Yes. I do. O'Connell." She reached out her hand and O'Connell took it. Her handshake was firm.

"Kara. It's nice to meet you." O'Connell tried a smile and was met with no response.

"This is Ashe." Kara extended her hand again.

"Hello." Ashe kept her response short.

Burke continued, "And Maluk."

Kara extended her hand but Maluk only looked at it. "Go ahead, M, she's not going to bite," Ashe prompted.

Kara dropped her hand to her side, her expression still void of any emotion she said, "I am aware I am different from most humans. My father and mother have explained this to me. If the child does not wish to shake my hand he is not required to. The act holds no meaning for me. It is a custom my father and mother have explained helps alleviate some anxiety other humans feel in my presence. If the act stresses the boy then its purpose is nullified." She dropped her gaze to Maluk. "Perhaps a simple hello?"

Maluk nodded. "Hey."

"Father, may I return to work now?"

Burke shook his head. "No. I need to speak to you. Come with us to the solarium."

Kara glanced back at the computer where she had been working, then back to her father her face completely still. "Yes, father."

Theresa moved to her daughter, slipping her hand in Kara's, asking questions about her work as they continued down the path. Burke followed, just slightly behind them, his eyes as dark and expressionless as his daughter's.

O'Connell moved behind them glancing from one to the other. The girl definitely had her father's features. It was almost a little uncanny. He had seen those features, countless times, carved into a stony silence that was terrifying to most men; however it was nothing when compared to his daughter's complete lack of expression. Where the General's appearance, for better or worse, always inspired his men, Kara's was simply _unnerving_.

The path came to an end, emptying out into an immense open expanse at the base of the cavern. The ground below their feet was dark and moist, and as they meander along the path Ashe could identify at least ten different varieties of fruit baring trees. It took almost a quarter mark for them to work their way through the orchard to where the path ended and the farm began. Two large barns stood to the north, their doors open revealing hay bales and feed. Acres of vegetable gardens grew to the south, and to the west livestock roamed peacefully behind wooden fences.

O'Connell acknowledged the reality of a complete working farm at the base of a canyon with a grin. _'Only Burke'_, he thought and then glanced upward, the sight of the cavern walls rising above in a perfect circle mesmerizing him. He jumped when Ashe spoke.

"What the hell did this?"

He glanced at her and saw she too stared at the open expanse above them. "I don't know." O'Connell shrugged and mumbled angrily, "And you know how I hate not knowing."

Ashe chuckled, then motioned that they should follow the others. Maluk had already nicked two pieces of fruit and was eating them simultaneously. Juice dripped down his chin and his face held a look of pure ecstasy.

"This city is simply remarkable," Ashe volunteered as they caught up to the others. "It's truly amazing."

Burke and Theresa grinned. "Thank you. It's been almost two decades of work, but we are very pleased with the result."

O'Connell's gaze took in the trees, the gardens and the livestock pens; he had trouble keeping his unease off his face. O'Connell did not like farming or livestock. It annoyed him. Though he wanted to pull out his M-9 and shoot the animals as they raced to the fence, following them, he decided ignoring them might be the better choice. He did take a moment to glare at Maluk as the boy offered a fat, hairy cow his apple.

He turned instead to the General, recognizing the miracle he had worked here, and angry that he was not willing to try again someplace safe. "You could take this knowledge, and work the same magic on another planet."

"Captain. This is our home and our decision." He glanced at Theresa and she nodded. "Enough. I simply wanted you to understand the scope of what we have accomplished here. And why I will not abandon the fifteen hundred inhabitants of this city."

O'Connell whistled softly. "That many, eh?"

"More arrive each day," Theresa added. "The war will not be a surprise when it comes. We will be as prepared as we can be."

"We'll be damn well prepared, woman! I didn't outmaneuver those bastards in the DS wars with my head up my ass!" Burke growled. "We may not have legions of android armies, but we've got this." He pointed to his left temple. "Four decades of military training, wife! It will get us through this, I promise!"

Theresa patted her husband on the chest. "Yes, yes dear. I didn't mean to imply anything less. You're a brilliant strategist."

"Damn straight I am," Burke mumbled.

Ashe turned away so the man would not see the grin she couldn't keep from her face.

"Father," Kara's monotone voice startled them. "Are we finished now? May I return to my work?"

Burke and Theresa exchanged glances, and then he straightened his shoulders. "No, daughter. I have another task for you."

"Why?" There was no curiosity in the tone.

"Because I have re-prioritized your work." Burke watched his daughter's face, wanting a change of expression, wanting some sign she was annoyed, confused, excited. Her blank expression did not change, and for the thousandth time since she was born, his heart broke for her.

"What is my assignment now, father?"

"I have decided you need to go with Captain O'Connell. You will travel with him and his companions to the planet Ashram where you will meet with the priests at the holy city. You will continue your work there as is possible and await your mother's and my arrival."

Kara glanced at her mother, and then turned back to her father. "I understand, father."

Theresa put her hand to her face, brushing away the tears that fell. "We'll join you as soon as we can, darling. I promise."

She turned her blank expression on her mother. "Yes, mother," she said, then turned to O'Connell with an abruptness that startled him. "Shall we depart for your ship, Captain?"

"Ahh, yeah." He glanced at Theresa, feeling incredibly guilty.

"General, the message?" Ashe asked.

Burke nodded. "First central communications, then the MorCai." Without looking back he strode purposefully out of the cavern. They followed him through an archway into a corridor that circled south. It was lined on the right with open doorways that were filled with various farming tools and equipment. It took a few moments before he entered one of the open doorways.

This room was filled with an array of communications equipment. Some of it looked fairly new, but most looked like it had been pieced together from broken components. Four men stood at various terminals, carefully monitoring the equipment's transmissions. The room was filled with the sound of garbled conversations, digital bleeps and blinking lights. O'Connell liked the sound of this room. He was much more at home here, than with those damn animals.

"Sir." One of the men stood and saluted.

"Enough, Harold. How many times must I tell you it's just Burke now?"

O'Connell stared at the man, wracking his brain. "Wait… Harry? Harry Tisdale? Lieutenant Commander Tisdale?"

"Yes, sir…" the man said, confused for a moment, then a grin split his face in two. "Captain O'Connell?"

O'Connell pulled the Lieutenant into a warm embrace. "Good gods, man, I haven't seen you since…"

"Since the ceremony on Farthium, when you and General Burke received your honors."

"Gods that was a lifetime ago," O'Connell said with a grin. "What are you doing here? Did he drag you along?"

Harry laughed. "No, quite the opposite. Took me about three years to track him down, but when I did I wouldn't let him out of my site."

"It was embarrassing actually. Had to find him a job just to get him off my back." Burke grinned at his friend. "Best damn communications officer I've ever had though."

Harry straightened. "Thank you, sir."

Burke burst out laughing. "You know it's funny, for a communications officer, he never listens." He gestured toward the consoles that filled the room. "Have there been any new developments?"

"No, sir. Planet wide communications have been quiet the past few days. I had intended on finding you later and mentioning it. It's not that I mind quiet, General, however…"

"However it's out of the norm, isn't it?"

"Very much so, General."

"Damn…" Burke glanced at his daughter, his concern evident.

Harry turned to O'Connell, pretending he had not seen the General's fear.

"What brings you here, Captain?"

"I need to send a message to Ashram, Lieutenant. Coded and hopefully untraceable."

Harry nodded. "Easily done. With the General's daughter's… sorry…" he nodded to Kara, "Kara's help, we've been able to reprogram our communications systems to be untraceable."

"Actually," Kara interrupted, "there is a point zero zero zero nine percent chance it may be detected and deciphered. However both father and Harry have agreed that is within acceptable limits."

"Quite acceptable, Kara," Burke said proudly.

"I have the frequency you need, Lieutenant," Ashe added, her sense of urgency carried in her tone.

"Yes, m'am." Harry nodded. "Please follow me." He worked his way across the room to a console at the back.

"We use this console for interplanetary communications."

"Do you communicate much off-world?" Ashe asked.

Harry nodded. "It will not surprise you, Captain," he glanced at O'Connell, "that the General has a great many friends, in high and low places."

"Me being the 'low' I presume?" O'Connell grunted.

Harry shrugged. "I would not presume to know," he said, grinning wickedly.

"Oh… he's the low. I guarantee it," Ashe said and winked at Harry.

"Just send your damn message, babe."

Ashe turned toward the console, not holding back her laughter. It took her a moment to make sense of the layout. Harry pointed to a button array. "You can enter your frequency here. I can initially oscillate the EM to be erratic. Then as it gets closer to Ashram it will self-clarify. This will help it appear as simple background noise as it leaves the planet. Also, if you give me a moment I can try and piggy back it with another outgoing message."

"Yes, perfect!" Ashe grinned excitedly, "You really are amazing, Lieutenant."

"If you say so, m'am," his tone was humble, but the glance he shot O'Connell was mocking.

"Yeah, yeah." O'Connell laughed. "Get it done, Lieutenant. We have a mission to get back to."

Ashe keyed in her short message to Master Ling. It was only three quick tones, but they told Master Ling, 'All is well and I'm on my way.'

She hoped the message would allay any concerns he may have due to her late arrival. A rush of fear washed over her as she thought again about O'Connell's words. She hoped Ling was alive and well and would receive her message, but the look she gave O'Connell was filled with concern.

O'Connell nodded then turned toward Burke, his tone impatient. "We need to leave now, General."

Burke and Theresa exchanged glances. They stared at their daughter who stood unmoving between them.

"Understood, Captain. Harry, would you be so kind as to take the Captain, his friends… and my daughter, to Paradi? O'Connell will be borrowing the MorCai."

Harry stood to attention, none of the questions he had showing on his face. "Of course, General."

"O'Connell… I…" Burke faltered, uncertain. "I… thank you."

O'Connell nodded. "Certainly, sir."

Theresa was not so restrained. She threw herself at O'Connell, wrapping her arms around him and sobbing quietly into his shirt. Burke gave her a moment before he pulled her off. O'Connell could not hide his discomfort.

"Thank you… with all my heart, thank you. All of you." Theresa turned to Ashe and gave her a tearful embrace. Ashe's face showed only slightly less discomfort than O'Connell's had.

Maluk surprised them all by reaching up and wrapping his arms around Theresa's neck. They hugged each other for a long moment, until Theresa's sobs quieted. When she pulled away he added, "Don't worry, T. I'll take care of 'er."

Theresa grinned through her tears. "You are a good man, young Maluk. A very good man. Thank you."

"Yes m'am."

Burke extended his hand to the boy. "I agree. Fine young man. You'd make a good soldier, boy."

"Yes sir!" Maluk's tone was a perfect copy of Harry's.

Harry moved toward the corridor, his face almost as expressionless as Kara's. "If you'll follow me, sir, m'am. We can take a transport from the stable dock and be in Paradi in an hour."

O'Connell nodded. "General. Theresa. Good luck." He cringed inwardly at how inadequate the words were.

"And to you, Captain." Burke shook his hand. "Keep her safe."

"Yes sir. Oh and sir, the MorBui's at dock 12. She may need to be… moved at some point. Try not to scratch her." O'Connell grinned then moved toward the door. Ashe mumbled a thank you and followed, Maluk by her side.

They stood awkwardly by the door, allowing the family a private moment for their goodbyes. The other men in the room had found excuses to leave, Theresa's tears more than they could handle.

"You'll be fine, darling. Just going on a trip, really. A holiday." Theresa tried to be positive.

Kara stared at her mother, none of what she was thinking showing on her face. "Yes, mother."

"O'Connell's a good man, Kara. He'll look after you and make sure you make it to the holy city safe."

"Yes, father."

"Here I have this for you." Theresa handed Kara the holodisk. Kara stared at it blankly.

"Thank you, mother."

Theresa sighed, knowing the gift meant nothing to her daughter. "You may be glad of it… later."

"Unlikely, mother. But…" Kara paused for a moment, "the gift is appreciated."

Theresa sighed. Kara was only parroting what Theresa had taught her to say to people when she was presented with a gift. She knew Kara could not feel the emotions inherent in the words, but they were welcome all the same and she was proud of her daughter for remembering them.

Burke straightened his shoulders. "Well then, daughter, off you go. O'Connell is your commanding officer now, Kara. Listen to him as you would me."

"Yes, father."

"Don't reprogram anything on the MorCai unless you clear it through him."

"Yes, father."

"And remember…" Burke took a deep breath, his veneer of calm cracking slightly, "remember your mother and I love you very much."

Kara glanced from one parent to the other. "I am aware of the intensity of your emotional response to me. I acknowledge the difficulty for you in my departure. Though I am aware of the burden this places upon you, does it not lighten this burden to know I am unaffected?"

Theresa broke into sobs.

"Apparently not. Father?" The face she turned to him was expressionless.

"I'll take care of her, Kara." Burke spoke as if he were commanding his troops. "Now hug your mother."

Kara reached out and placed her arms around her mother. Ashe cringed. It was the perfect replica of a hug, and yet also a horrible parody.

"Have you received some comfort from this, mother?" Kara asked.

Theresa nodded, trying to grin and failing. "Thank you, Kara. I love you so much, sweetheart. Please be careful."

"I will avoid injury, mother. I believe father will ensure you do as well."

Burke nodded.

Without a word Kara moved toward the doorway, as she reached the group she paused for a moment, and turned back toward her parents.

"I am aware that you wish to hear me say the words, 'I love you', though we know that that is impossible. However your training has given me the skills necessary to survive apart from you. I acknowledge this achievement, and thank you."

This time Theresa's grin was real. Burke reached out and took his wife's hand. "O'Connell." Burke found himself incapable of more.

"Sir." O'Connell nodded, then followed Harry down the hall toward the transport bay, focusing on what he needed to accomplish and not the heartbreak of his friend.


End file.
